After a tryout at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in August 2015, Waitress premiered at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway in April 2016, closing in January 2020, with direction by Diane Paulus and starring Jessie Mueller as Jenna.

In September 2021, it returned to Broadway for a limited engagement at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre starring Bareilles as Jenna, mainly to produce a live stage recording of the show for a 2023 release.

The film follows Jenna, a waitress and pie chef living in a small town in the American South, who unexpectedly becomes pregnant and feels trapped in an unhappy marriage.

[9] On December 11, 2014, the musical was officially confirmed, and it was announced that the show would receive its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as part of their 2015–2016 season, with Jessie Nelson now writing the book.

[10][11] A workshop was held the same month in New York City, with Jessie Mueller, Keala Settle, Barrett Wilbert Weed, Christopher Fitzgerald, Bryce Pinkham, and Andy Karl, among others, taking part.

[13] Waitress has a rare all-women production team, with Diane Paulus as director, Sara Bareilles as composer and lyricist, Jessie Nelson as book adaptor and Lorin Latarro as choreographer.

At her OB/GYN's office, Jenna is taunted by other pregnant women ("Club Knocked Up") and meets Dr. James "Jim" Pomatter, a new doctor from Connecticut.

Jenna tells Dawn and Becky of her plan to enter the pie contest; if she wins, she will use the prize money to leave Earl and raise the baby herself.

[22] Mueller notably won the IRNE Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in a season dominated by Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.

[8] Manhattan baker Stacy Donnelly and Small Business Owner Dawn Mayo of Everythingdawn were hired to ensure that the baking scenes were realistic.

[29] Cast changes included Nick Cordero taking over the role of Earl,[30] Kimiko Glenn as Dawn, and Christopher Fitzgerald, who took part in the New York workshop, as Ogie.

[33] Waitress made history on Broadway with the four top creative spots in a show being filled by women (Bareilles, Nelson, Latarro, and Paulus).

[24] Barry Weissler remounted of the original production, again starring Bareilles, in a limited engagement opening on September 2, 2021, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, making it the first musical on Broadway to begin performances following the COVID-19 shutdown.

[39] The primary reason for its return was to record the production for a future public release, with STEAM Motion + Sound producing a film version.

Several other returning cast members starred in the production, including Gehling as Dr. Pomatter, Tippett as Earl, Dawson as Becky, Houlahan as Dawn, Matthews as Joe, Fitzgerald as Ogie, and Anderson as Cal.

[42] The first U.S. national tour, with Desi Oakley as Jenna, Lenne Klingaman as Dawn, Charity Angel Dawson as Becky, and Bryan Fenkart as Dr. Pomatter, began at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 20, 2017, and closed on August 18, 2019.

[45] A third U.S. national tour played just two engagements, at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, North Carolina (from April 19 to May 22, 2022), and at the Hanna Theatre in Cleveland (from May 26 to June 26, 2022).

[46] The production opened in London's West End on March 7, 2019, following previews which began on February 8, at the Adelphi Theatre, and featured Katharine McPhee as Jenna; she had previously played the role on Broadway; Jack McBrayer was Ogie.

[50] Desi Oakley, a Jenna on the US tour, joined the show in London in January, when Jones as well as her understudies, Sarah O’Connor and Olivia Moore, were too ill to perform.

Lucie Jones, Sandra Marvin and Evelyn Hoskins reprised the roles of Jenna, Becky and Dawn from the West End production.

[55] The first international production, produced by Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group, debuted in November 2018 at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, Makati City, in Manila, Philippines, featuring Joanna Ampil as Jenna.

[62] Due to COVID-19 restrictions, part of the creative team travelled to Japan and quarantined before the start of the rehearsal process, while others worked remotely.

[citation needed] A French-language production, translated by Joëlle Bond and Elizabeth Cordeau-Rancourt, ran at Théâtre Saint-Denis in Montreal and Salle Albert-Rousseau in Quebec City.

[69] A French version of "She Used to Be Mine", "Cachée au fond de moi", performed by Janvier, was released as a single on May 10, 2024, to promote the production.

[70] The 2021 Broadway production starring Bareilles and Gehling was recorded for future release, with STEAM Motion + Sound producing the film.

[76] In addition to the show's musical numbers, Bareilles also recorded the "turn off your cellphone" message, rewriting part of her original song "Cassiopeia".

Meanwhile, there's little evidence for the good doctor being Jenna's lost soulmate, despite his loving bedside manner... Mueller's performance transcends the show's imperfections.

She sings Bareilles' songs beautifully... director Diane Paulus fills the production with clever touches – a scalloped pie-crust proscenium, a fluid and easygoing flow and a natural truthfulness in the performances.

Charles Isherwood of The New York Times gave a mixed review of the show, but called Mueller's performance "a high point of the Broadway season".

"[97] David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter said, "...the material is anchored at every step by Bareilles' melodious pop score and Mueller's supremely natural performance as Jenna.