Waitress - Adelphi Theatre / U.K. Tour / Cinema

I'm happy with Marisha and David. Everyone else so far... meh.

Indeed. I booked for a late preview recently and really didn’t struggle to find a good pair of seats.

I don't think it will be a runaway smash. I would worry more about Come From Away because that is a more unknown property and apparently isn't selling that well still, but I guess we will have to see what happens.

This is no more "known" than Come From Away to a British audience, and Come From Away has a story that will resonate with anyone who's about 25 or older as we all remember the day in question.

Waitress as a title gives a bit more of a clue to that show's subject matter, but that's about all the advantage it has. Its adverts on the London Underground are pretty dull as well.

Both of them will be dependent on reviews and word of mouth for sure.

Presumably this coming Monday?

I don't think she is

http://instagr.am/p/BsHxe95hc0X

Rehearsals were due to start Monday but casting isn’t complete yet, nor have they finalised hiring the person sharing directorial duties so may be postponed.

I know someone who turned this down this week. Said producers had been messing him and his agent around the last two weeks. NOT a good sign and the casting obviously isn’t complete!

This just sounds like a complete mess currently. Hoping they get themselves sorted, get casting complete and quickly throw them all into rehearsals sharpish or the first few weeks the show is open will be a free for all mess. That’s if they’ve sorted out casting enough to open the show on time! The way it’s going I can see them having to push back previews.

That makes no sense whatsoever - why bring McPhee over for a week, let her go back to the US for a few then bring her back again?! Either leave her out of the first few weeks and then bring her in, or have her there the whole time as she should be - it's a completely different cast and theatre, the only advantage she has is not having to learn the material. Rehearsals for this are going to be so disjointed.

It seems as if the producers don't really care about this transfer at all! Glad I haven't bothered to book a ticket yet as I'll certainly be waiting until later in the run now!

I would imagine it's down to cost cost cost and possibly McPhee and the director tied up to other projects.
Most of these shows are enterprises and are run as much. As the first overseas replica production, they'd probably just want to replicate the Broadway staging and vibe. Bring in the director and the lead lady for the first week to set the tone and set the company in motion, then again for the last week to slot her in and for the director to work out some of the kinks. These shows are so tight and every single movement is calculated and choreographed, so slotting her in is literally what they will do. Keep in mind that we are talking about two weeks of absence. Professional shows are normally put together over four weeks before tech, so essentially they could get quite a lot accomplished in the first and last week. It's not an ideal way of building a company and a cast, but it's certainly doable and not unheard of.

So with rehearsals starting tomorrow, hopefully we’ll get some more - if not all - confirmed casting news.