Katharine McPhee to play Jenna Hunterson in Waitress in the West End
Katharine McPhee is set to star in the West End premiere of Waitress as Jenna Hunterson, opening at the Adelphi Theatre next year.
McPhee will make her West End debut in this production, reprising her Broadway performance as Jenna Hunterson after playing the role for a four month engagement in 2018. She came into the public eye when she competed on the television show American Idol in 2006, finishing in second place. After American Idol, she played Karen Cartwright in the musical television series Smash, featuring music and lyrics from Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, the musical creators behind Hairspray. Winning an award for best actress in a drama series for her leading performance, she performed alongside Broadway actors Megan Hilty and Christian Borle.
Further casting for the production is yet to be announced.
Waitress follows the story of Jenna, a waitress and expert pie maker who realises she is pregnant with a child in a loveless marriage. Learning of a pie making competition nearby with a large cash prize, she enters the competition in the hope of creating a new start for her and her child.
Waitress features a score by six-time Grammy Award-nominee Sara Bareilles. The musical was also nominated for four Outer Critics' Circle Awards and four Tony Awards, including best original score and best musical. The production will also be the first West End musical to feature an all-female creative team.
Click here to read an interview with McPhee as she prepared for Waitress on Broadway at New York Theatre Guide.
Waitress will open at the Adelphi Theatre on 8th February 2019, booking until 25th May 2019.
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