Review: Waitress starring Lucie Jones | Waitress UK Tour at Glasgow King's Theatre - sublime
The UK tour of Waitress the musical arrives in Glasgow this week with West End star Lucie Jones in the lead role of Jenna. Read my review below.
Waitress ★★★★★
Review: 6 October 2026 | King's Theatre, Glasgow
The tenth-anniversary tour of hit musical Waitress has opened in Glasgow this week, with West End and X-Factor star Lucie Jones starring in the lead role as Jenna.
Having played on Broadway, in the West End and all over the world over the past ten years, it all started originally with the 2007 film "Waitress" by Adrienne Shelly. Waitress, the musical follows the same story of Jenna (Lucie Jones), who works in a small-town pie diner where she bakes happiness into her pies for her customers but has an unhappy home life with her brutish husband, Earl (Mark Willshire.) When handsome Dr Pomatter arrives in town (Dan Partridge), and Jenna hears about a baking contest offering a huge cash prize, Jenna hopes that she can finally escape her marriage, one way or the other.
Nearing the end of its major 2026 UK tour - there are only two more venues after Glasgow: Sheffield and Salford - this production of Waitress is polished to a mirror shine. Every technical element works seamlessly, and with a seasoned cast and expert creative team, the result is an evening of impeccable musical theatre.
The score by Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles is incredible, and the book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson is packed with drama, humour and heart. I've seen Waitress on several occasions previously, but the stars aligned in Glasgow last night for every aspect of the production to work at its optimum level, resulting in the absolute best performance of Waitress I've ever seen.
The comedy is sharp, fresh and perfectly balanced with the dark moments of the story to deliver a dramatic, yet entertaining musical theatre treat. Bareilles' score is executed beautifully by the onstage musicians who delivered a flawless, dynamic performance and keep the pace flowing even when it threatens to stall due to the rapturous applause from the ecstatic audience.
In her first role back on stage this year, Lucie Jones steps into the iconic role of waitress Jenna, replacing Carrie Hope Fletcher. If you didn't know that this was Jones' first performance with this company, then you wouldn't have a clue. Her gorgeous vocals and charming stage presence make her the perfect Jenna, and her delivery of every note, every line, is faultless. Bareilles' hit song from Waitress, 'She Used to Be Mine' is one of the best songs in modern musical theatre, and Lucie Jones brought the house down with it in Glasgow. A breathtaking couple of minutes.
Jenna is supported in the diner by workmates Becky (Bernadette Bangura) and Dawn (Evelyn Hoskins) who provide advice and get into complicated (and hilarious!) romantic situations of their own. Long-term cast member Hoskins has every second of Dawn's character down to a tee, and she squeezes every ounce of comedy out of the character. It's a fabulous performance.
Mark Anderson is just as funny and charming as Ogie, while it's easy to believe that new Dr Pomatter Dan Partridge is impossible to resist. National treasure Les Dennis plays old Joe in a small but touching role of the elderly diner owner with very exacting tastes.
Supported by an excellent ensemble who multi-role various characters and provide backing vocals, this Waitress is a major musical theatre production that's bursting with perfectly-cast talent.
Waitress is that rare musical theatre show where the story is as strong as the score, no scene is wasted, and there are no superfluous songs. Plus there are pie props and baking puns aplenty! What's not to love? With a perfectly judged balance of sugar and spice: this is as good as it gets.
Sublime ★★★★★
Waitress is at the King's Theatre, Glasgow until Saturday 10 October 2026.
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