Sara Bareilles Wants Kelly Clarkson to Play The Lead Role in Waitress

May 2024 · 4 minute read

Waitress: The Musical is playing in theaters across the country as part of a five-day special event series.

The Tony nominee talked about how the movie serves as a bookend to her Waitress role in the interview. While she sees it as her final time playing the role of Jenna, Bareilles does have a suggestion for who could play the role next.

“There is some kind of bittersweetness about it. “I believe there is a genuine awareness that this is my final performance in that role, but that does not mean you cannot perform in that role,” Bareilles remarked to Clarkson.

Bareilles is one of Paul Bareilles and Bonnie Halvorsen’s three daughters. Bareilles started performing at a young age, and the family was a resident of Eureka, California.

Her perseverance paid off in 2003 when she opened for Maroon 5, a band whose members were college friends, at a few locations during the band’s inaugural tour.

Little Voice, Bareilles’s debut album for Epic Records, was released in 2007 and went on to sell over a million copies.

The recording gained particular notoriety for the hit song “Love Song,” which was a satirical protest against record labels pressuring musicians to provide particular material.

The idea was well received by Clarkson, and the studio audience burst into cheers.

Although the “Since U Been Gone” singer has not yet made her way to Broadway, she did perform a cover of Waitress’ “She Used to Be Mine” on her talk show. Bareilles claims to have seen Waitress “three thousand times.”

“I closed my eyes the whole time because I had no idea what I was walking into,” Clarkson said, quoting the lovely song Waitress. “It’s like the most amazing song. I was proud of myself for being able to get through it once without losing it.”

Waitress, which debuted at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in 2007 and ran for more than 1500 performances, was one of the longest-running Broadway productions in recent memory.

It was based on the Adrienne Shelly film. In celebration of Broadway’s reopening in the fall of 2021, the production made a brief return appearance at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.  

How Did “Waitress” Affect Sara Bareilles’ Musical Style?

Sara Bareilles has never shied away from discussing how working on the musical “Waitress” altered her life course.

“My life can be divided into two parts: before and after ‘Waitress,'” the actress stated during the most recent installment of Variety’s theater podcast, “Stagecraft.” “This show has improved and changed everything in my life.”

With the Broadway production of “Waitress” filmed, featuring Bareilles in the lead role, the singer, songwriter, and actor (“Girls5Eva”) has had an opportunity to revisit the show and consider its influence on her life.

The film was taken during the show’s 2021 return engagement in New York. The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, and it opens in theaters this week.

According to Bareilles, her experience in musical theater and on “Waitress” has even influenced the songs she writes for her albums.

“To be honest, I am having more difficulty writing songs for myself,” she said. It was immensely relieving to dive into someone else’s psychology, practice empathy, and hear another person’s tale. I was so used to telling my own story; do we all get bored with ourselves eventually? Oh my God, is there anything else I could be depressed about?”

She continued, “I think that writing musical theater just broadened or widened the aperture.” It serves as a reminder that there are an endless number of ways to compose music, tell stories, and write songs.”

Apart from penning the musical score for “Waitress,” Bareilles has acted in the production four times during its two Broadway runs. This new film adaptation of “Waitress” might be the last time she plays the role.

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