The ”Smash” star replaces Sara Bareilles and makes her Broadway debut.
Broadway's Waitress welcomed Katharine McPhee in her Broadway debut as Jenna on Tuesday, April 10, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. McPhee, who replaces Waitress songwriter Sara Bareilles, will continue with the show through June 17.
McPhee launched her recording career as runner-up on season 5 of American Idol. She led the cast of the Broadway-themed NBC series Smash, and she currently stars in the CBS dramatic series Scorpion. Her latest album "I Fall in Love Too Easily" was released by BMG in 2017.
Inspired by Adrienne Shelly's 2007 motion picture, Waitress tells the story of Jenna, an expert pie maker in a small town who dreams of a way out of her loveless marriage. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town's new doctor may offer her a chance at a new life, while her fellow waitresses offer their own recipes to happiness. But Jenna must find the courage and strength within herself to rebuild her life.
Waitress features a score by Bareilles and a book by Jessie Nelson. Diane Paulus directs.