‘Smile, baby girl’: Sara Bareilles reflects on ‘Waitress’ journey from Broadway to the big screen
Sara Bareilles is out of the woods and back in the diner.
Fresh off her best actress Tony Award nomination for “Into the Woods,” a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s heart-wrenching fairy-tale musical, Bareilles is returning to the show that made her a beloved fixture in the theater community. “Waitress, the Musical − Live on Broadway!” premieres at Tribeca Festival on Monday, with screenings throughout the week and a simulcast in Times Square.
The performance was captured during the Broadway return of “Waitress” in 2021, starring Bareilles as a put-upon pastry chef dealing with an unexpected pregnancy. The “Brave” singer wrote the score for the musical, which is adapted from the 2007 movie starring Keri Russell.
“This a very handmade, bespoke kind of rendering of something that means an extraordinary amount to all of us,” Bareilles says of the filmed version. “I’m really proud of how it came out.”
USA TODAY caught up with Bareilles, 43, before Sunday’s Tonys:
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Question: The musical “Waitress” was announced exactly 10 years ago this month. What do you wish you could tell 2013 Sara?
Sara Bareilles: If I had known the magnitude and the profound impact this show would have on me, I think I would have felt overwhelmed by that and probably been too intimidated to say yes. My naivete has served me really well. So I would tell her nothing. (Laughs.) I would say, “Smile, baby girl. Enjoy the ride.”
“She Used to Be Mine” has been covered by everyone from Kelly Clarkson to Ben Platt. Has the song taken on new meaning for you in recent years?
Absolutely. I mean, talk about layers upon layers that I did not know were inside of that song. That was the first completed song I ever wrote for the show. At that time, I had just moved to New York City and I was feeling a little bit of disassociation, like I did not recognize my life. That’s where I could find common ground with (the character) Jenna: She ended up in this life she didn’t entirely choose and didn’t quite recognize herself.
The song means so much to me, in terms of my own story, so I’m just grateful that it’s connected with other people. It’s very rare to have a song that can live outside a show about pie.
Nine months after playing the Baker’s Wife in “Into the Woods” on Broadway, what has stuck with you about the character?
This woman is caught in the struggle of wanting more than one thing at once, and that’s definitely something I relate to. But the deepest resonance was how nourishing it is to be a part of a cast like this. It’s an incredible experience to watch (the audience) have tears in their eyes as they’re getting to the end of this epic saga. It was really moving.
This year marked your third Tony nomination, but your first for acting. What does it mean to you to be recognized for that side of your craft?
I feel like I’m the kid who snuck into the cool kids’ party, and I just want them to like me? (Laughs.) To get this acknowledgement feels like the kind of validation that I didn’t know I wanted so badly.
You’ve now put your stamp on the Baker’s Wife and Mary Magdalene (in NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert”). Is there another classic role you’d like to take on?
There are a couple that I’m mulling over, but really, the focus right this minute is working on another record, so I’m trying to remember how to do that. I have to carve out a little bit of space to do some reflection. I need to take a beat, and just have a think, take some long walks, sit with my piano and see what comes.
Would you ever consider making ‘Waitress’ a full-blown movie musical?
We have talked about it. The undertaking is such a massive one. The last conversation that came up about that was kind of simultaneous with getting a live capture. So we were like, “Let’s do one thing at a time.” I could see at some point revisiting this material, and I think it would be a great moment to pass (the role) on to another person, another interpreter, and see someone else tell this beautiful story. Yeah, I think it could be exciting at some point. Not today! (Laughs.) Someday.
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