Sara Bareilles To Play Lead In ‘Waitress’ Musical While Working On New Album
After weeks denying rumors and fans’ wishful thinking, Sara Bareilles has announced that she will be stepping in as the lead in her musical, Waitress! Sara composed the music and wrote the lyrics for all the songs in Waitress, a musical inspired by a 2007 indie film of the same name. In 2015, she released an album of some of those songs called What’s Inside: Songs From Waitress. The musical went to Broadway in April 2016 and was nominated for numerous awards. Now, as actress Jessie Mueller steps down from her leading role as Jenna, Sara will be taking her place.
Sara will perform as Jenna in Waitress from March 31st through June 11th. Check out her announcement below:
Those of you looking for a new album need not worry. Last month, Sara revealed she’s hoping to have an album out by the end of this year. Today, she confirmed that plan. Sara is currently writing, and plans to continue writing even as she takes on the full time role of Jenna in Waitress. She joked that she’ll simply stop sleeping in order to fit everything into her busy schedule.
Her last studio album, The Blessed Unrest, came out in July 2013. It launched her hit single, “Brave,” written for a friend struggling to come out. She also released her musical album, What’s Inside: Songs From Waitress, in November 2015. It includes her ballad, “She Used To Be Mine.”
Update March 23: Variety published a new interview with Sara Bareilles about Waitress. She explained her unexpected decision to join the cast:
There was just a perfect storm of things that lined up. I had originally thought that this year would get dedicated to making my next record, and I had gone into the songwriting process. And then when we got the news that Jessie was moving on, I hadn’t made a lot of headway with my own record yet and I was still sort of holding space for this show in a strange way. It just felt like this was the time. I’m as close to the show as I’ll ever be. My friends are in the show. The band is the original band. Lots of things are still very similar to how it was created, and I feel like that’s the show I want to be in.
Be sure to see Sara on Broadway if you have the chance! While we wait for album #5, re-listen to The Blessed Unrest and What’s Inside: Songs From Waitress. If you’re able to make it to Broadway, you’ll also want to see Waitress, especially if you can see Sara in it! She’ll be there from March 31st through June 11th. Book fans will also love Sara’s 2015 autobiography, Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) In Song. It’s a must-read.
Keep checking back here for all the latest Sara Bareilles music news.
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