Jason Mraz, the Grammy-winning performer currently appearing in Broadway’s Waitress, has extended his engagement for an additional two-weeks. He will now stay with the show playing the role of Dr. Pomatter through February 11, 2018. This will give audiences and an additional two-weeks to experience Mraz performing opposite singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, who returns to the show on January 16th and stays through February 25th. Mraz had originally been scheduled to leave the show on January 28.
Mraz and Bareilles sang together on the Waitress concept album titled What’s Inside: Songs from Waitress. Mraz has enjoyed his own music career, debuting his first studio album Waiting for My Rocket to Come in 2002. Subsequent albums include Mr. A-Z (2005), We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things (2008), and Love is a Four-Letter Word (2012). Mraz is also a winner of two Grammy Awards.
Due to previous contractual obligations, Mraz will not perform on February 1 and 2. Drew Gehling, who originated the role of Dr. Pomatter in the Broadway production, will step-in for Mraz during this brief hiatus. Gehling will return to the role full-time on February 13, upon Mraz’s departure.
Waitress tells the story of Jenna, an expert pie maker in a small town, who dreams of a way out of her loveless marriage with her husband Earl. A baking contest in a nearby county and the town’s new physician, Dr. Pomatter, may offer her a chance at a new life, while her fellow waitresses offer their own recipes to happiness. But Jenna must find the courage and strength within herself to rebuild her life. This new American musical celebrates friendship, motherhood, and the magic of a well-made pie.”
Waitress features a score by Grammy and Tony-nominated composer Bareilles, a book by Jessie Nelson, adapted from 2007 screenplay by Adrienne Shelly. The musical opened at Broadway’s Brooks Atkinson Theatre in April of 2016. Diane Paulus (Pippin, Hair) directed the show with choreography by Chase Brock.
Mark Robinson is the author of the two-volume encyclopedia The World of Musicals and maintains a theater and entertainment blog at markrobinsonwrites.com.