Music Theatre International Acquires Licensing Rights to Waitress

Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles earned a Tony nomination for her score to the musical.

Music Theatre International has acquired worldwide licensing rights to the Sara Bareilles musical Waitress. The musical based on Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 film features a score by the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter known for the hits “Brave” and “Love Song.”

A timeline for licensing availability has not been announced.

Waitress, which currently plays Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre, features a book by screenwriter Jessie Nelson (I Am Sam). The Broadway production was directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus and choreographed by Lorin Latarro. Waitress made Broadway history as the first musical to have four women in these four top creative team spots.

“Like so many great musicals, Waitress is about its main character’s aspirations and dreams and how she pursues them in the face of adversity,” said MTI President and CEO Drew Cohen in a statement. “What allows Waitress to connect so powerfully with its audiences is that everyone can immediately relate to Jenna’s deceptively simple dreams: a happy home life, a sense of community and an appreciation of her own self-worth. Sara’s brilliantly heartfelt score and Jessie’s engagingly real script bring Jenna, her friends and her world to life so vividly, the show is impossible to resist. We are especially proud to represent Waitress and look forward to seeing many Joe’s Diners on stage around the world.”

The musical opened on Broadway April 24, 2016, earning nominations for Best Musical and Best Score, in addition to acting nominations for original cast members Jessie Mueller and Christopher Fitzgerald.

Music Theatre International (MTI) shows are currently featured on PLAYBILLder. Visit PLAYBILLder.com to learn how to create and print your own Playbill programs to engage and build your audience! Share your Playbill virtually, promote your show through social media, distribute programs in your theatre and much more.