Waitress at The National Theatre

Waitress

The National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington

Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life such as “The Key (Lime) to Happiness Pie” and “Betrayed By My Eggs Pie.” When a baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying encounter with someone new — show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Change is on the menu, as long as Jenna can write her own perfectly personal recipe for happiness. Brought to life by a groundbreaking creative team, this hilarious hit Broadway musical features original music and lyrics by Grammy® Award winner Sara Bareilles ("Brave," "Love Song"), a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam), original choreography by Lorin Latarro (Mrs. Doubtfire, Chess) and original direction by Tony Award® winner Diane Paulus (1776, Jagged Little Pill, Pippin).

Dec 8 - Dec 13, 2026

Show Times TBA

thenationaldc.org/events/category/series/waitress-18/

Nearby Restaurants

Find Discounted Parking near The National Theatre for Waitress

Waitress Reviews

Average Rating based on 4 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Theatre Bloom - Highly Recommended

"...With a convivial spark, Desi Oakley lights up the oven and bakes the production to perfection in the protagonistic role of Jenna. Her accent is convincing, her singing voice sublime, and the way she exists within this world of fantasy, memory, and reality, is truly mesmerizing. Showcasing a myriad of emotions and moments of character growth, Oakley gives the character a refreshing life on the stage. Traversing the ups and downs, the laughs and tears, the scary moments and the pleasurable ones, Oakley finds the perfect recipe for making this character extraordinary. Her torch song, â€œShe Used to Be Mineâ€ is a powerhouse breakout filled with raw emotions and vocal prowess, even if it does end on a subtle and soft series of sounds. Remarkable in the role of Jenna, Desi Oakley is as enticing as all of those pies Jenna spends all night baking!"

- Amanda Gunther

DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended

"..."Butter. Sugar. Flour." These three words are sprinkled like incantations throughout the 2016 musical Waitress, a tasty, buttermilk tart and bright woman-powered show that features Sara Bareilles' sublime alt-country, contemporary pop music and lyrics and a multi-layered book by Jessie Nelson based on Adrienne Shelly's 2006 indie film of the same name."

Read Full Review

- Jayne Blanchard

BroadwayWorld - Recommended

"...While it took me awhile to warm up to Desi Oakley as Jenna - she gives a much more consistently internal and understated acting and singing performance than others I've seen in the role - she ultimately embodies a strong, but wounded woman trying to navigate a difficult situation. I wanted her to succeed in the end. Her singing is beautiful, especially on "What Baking Can Do" and "She Used to Be Mine." She can expertly navigate more folksy tunes along with big ballads and her voice fits them all."

Read Full Review

- Jennifer Perry

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"...Waitress at the National Theatre is sweet as "Sugar." The word resonates during scene shifts, as an immensely talented piemaker, Jenna (Desi Oakley), lists the ingredients for the new pie she is inventing in the opening number, "What's Inside." The mix of flavors is delicious as Jenna is joined in harmonies by her fellow waitresses, brassy Becky (Charity Angel Dawson) and quirky uber-nerd Dawn (Lenne Klingaman). The band, who are occasionally also onstage, and other singers are uniformly terrific, and do justice to the songs of first-time Broadway composer, and 6-time Grammy nominee, Sara Bareilles."

- Chuck Leonard