The story 鈥淲aitress鈥� debuted in 2007 as a film by Adrian Shelley, starring Keri Russell. In 2015, recording artist Sara Bareilles and Jesse Nelson adapted it into a stage musical, which was nominated for four Tony Awards. In 2021, the musical was remounted in New York as Broadway began to come back in the midst of the pandemic. That version was filmed and released in 2023 starring Sara Bareilles, who was also a producer. Now, the musical is being staged professionally for the first time ever in Oregon. It runs April 11 through June 15 at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre, and its director, Lauren Blair, talked about it with JPR鈥檚 Vanessa Finney.
Welcome, Lauren Blair. For those who aren't familiar, what is the basic storyline of 鈥淲aitress"?
The basic storyline is a woman named Jenna who's in a loveless marriage and finds out that she is unexpectedly pregnant. She's also an expert pie maker, so that's kind of her home base. And she goes to get examined by a gynecologist, and that turns into a love affair. From there, she has to decide she's not excited about being a mom, it wasn't in her plans. But when she finally meets her baby, the song is, 鈥淓verything changes.鈥�
Indeed, it does. What would you say some of the basic themes in the story are?
I think the thing that I'm trying to drive towards is that family doesn't necessarily mean blood in marriage 鈥� it means chosen. So she has two waitresses that work with her, and they are her family, and she's finding family as she's working through this understanding that it doesn't necessarily come from the person you married or the person who gave birth to you. These people just lift her up and send her forward because they just love her. Chosen family.
It transcends blood ties, sometimes. Do you have any thoughts about why the Oregon Cabaret Theatre is the first professional theater to even try staging this in the state?
Well, we've wanted this show for a long time, and the rights just haven't been available to us. So that's part of the theater process: You can ask, and you may not be given the rights because it's on a tour or it's being staged somewhere else. So we've been asking for this show for a couple of years, and then we just magically got it this year.
Lucky us, and I'm sure you've been having a ball producing it now. So like with Legally Blonde and other things that you've directed, you make a point of not seeing different versions because you want to create your own original artwork. Is that right?
Yeah, I'm not big on watching bootlegs or other versions on YouTube or the internet or whatever, because I think the people that come into the room, we have to tell our version of the story. And since I've been a choreographer for 27 years now and a director for 10, for me, it's 鈥淟et's find what makes this story work with us. Let's not tell someone else's version.鈥� Which makes for a lot of discovery in our rehearsal room, and it makes it fun. And I ask my actors, 鈥淲hat does this feel like? Does this feel right for you?鈥� Because I'm also an actress, so does this feel right for you, or do we want to try a different spin on this? And so it's more about discovery, right?
I would imagine you would be most collaborative as a director if you're also an actor because you're so sensitive to, 鈥淗ow do you want to co-create this?鈥�
Yeah, 鈥淒oes this feel like where you want to go? And if not, then let's, let's have a chat. We'll talk, we'll work, we'll build it together.鈥� One of the things that I feel very strongly about is collaboration and making sure that all my performers, my designers, everyone feels seen and heard. And we're all building this as one, yes, and making our own thing. We're not recreating what they did on Broadway. We're making our own thing, right?
You're not just being a cover artist, if I can translate it into music, you're doing some interpretation here. Speaking of that, you said one of the things that arose with just letting your cast co-create this is that you find yourself with a cast that's very musical.
Yeah, so we cast the show just with the best people that we could, that we wanted in the roles, and then we realized that so many of them were actual musicians. So we have put our own spin on the show, and it's kind of turned into an actor-musician show. So we've got our three band members, two of them come in and play roles, and then I've got at least four or five other performers playing piano, cajon, guitar. So it's turned into another version of 鈥淲aitress.鈥�
So where is that set? Because I'm picturing the cafe, the pie shop.
We've got a second level, and that's my main-three band. They can come down and up, and then all the other instruments like the cajon and the piano 鈥� all those things are kind of just scattered around, so they sort of encompass the story.
I love it. So Lauren, when you came on the show last year, you were directing 鈥淟egally Blonde: The 老夫子传媒al.鈥� Was that the last show that you directed?
Correct.
Okay, that was another female-authored film that was adapted into a musical, just like 鈥淲aitress鈥� was. So do you have any thoughts about any qualities a story or a screenplay might have that makes it especially adaptable, not just for the stage, but a musical?
Well, one thing I'm going to say is I am always happy to direct or choreograph something that is a female-lead-driven thing. That's one thing that we talk about a lot when we're choosing our seasons, is making sure that we're representing as many different people as we can. For some reason, I always end up on the female-driven stories. And I'm perfectly fine with that! I think that there's something with 鈥淲aitress鈥� and 鈥淟egally Blonde" (that) always felt like a musical to me from the time I saw it back in the day. With 鈥淲aitress,鈥� I think it was Sara Bareilles who made it something magical.
Absolutely. I just want to backtrack for one second. I'm wondering if you can actually explain why the movie 鈥淟egally Blonde" seemed like a musical - that they would just burst into song at certain points.
It's very fantastical. So there's just, there's certain movies where I watch it, and I'm like, 鈥淲hy isn't this a musical?鈥� I literally just heard that 鈥淕reatest Showman鈥� is finally gonna be staged, right? I'm like, 鈥淚t's already a musical movie, so put it on stage!鈥� 鈥淲aitress鈥� is different, though. I think it needed the right composer, because it's so intimate and sentimental. I wouldn't watch that movie and think it should be a musical. But when you put Sara Bareilles in there and her skills, it's beautiful.
Enter Sara Bareilles.
Yeah, enter Sara Bareilles. I cry every day.
鈥淪he Used to Be Mine鈥� is one of the songs that people might be most familiar with. Talk more about the music. There's a song that was in the stage play called "Contraction Ballet.鈥� Is that still in there?
Yeah, and actually, when I go over to rehearsal right now, I'm going to stage that, and it's her having her first contraction. And one of the things that's been beautiful about the movement of the show and the way that Sara Bareilles wrote the music is that I'm able to incorporate a lot of choreography where she's not alone. Because her storyline is that she's alone, but when we incorporate the ensemble and whatnot, she's not alone. So 鈥淐ontraction Ballet鈥� is her having her first contractions, but also other women going into labor at the same time. So it turns into a movement piece, right? Grabbing the belly, checking the pulse, touching the head, so there's almost a balletic feel, because of the way Sara writes her music. You just have to go with the music. So, yeah, 鈥淐ontraction Ballet鈥� is five women going into labor at the same time, and what does that feel like for them?
"I think the most important thing is understanding that family is chosen. So choose your family."
And that beautiful ballad 鈥淪he Used to Be Mine,鈥� is about losing yourself.
Yeah, and she has to find a way to regain herself to be a mother. Again, she didn't want to be a mom, but she discovers once she gives birth that (as) she says, 鈥淭oday's a day like any other, I'm changed. I'm a mother. Everything changes. Everything changes.鈥�
So, rehearsal started March 17. Tell us about some of your actors in this. I know you have worked with some of the cast before.
Yes. So our lead is Carrie Lynn Brandon. I first worked with her in 2016 on 鈥淏eehive鈥� here at the cabaret. And my music director for that show, Mike Wilkins, is also my music director on this show. They met, fell in love, and they're getting married at the end of this year.
Casting is part of your role as Associate Artistic Director. Did you cast them?
No, I wasn't Associate Artistic Director at that point. So I was handed a beautiful cast. I was on an out-of-town contract at that point. I hadn't moved up to Ashland yet. They tell me the story about how on day three, they just pinged on each other! Now they live in New York and have a cute little Corgi.
Ah, the American dream - or the American theater dream. I've always thought that casting directors are sometimes matchmakers.
It happens. I mean, I met my husband on a show 17 years ago, so yeah, magic happens in the room.
Okay, what else about the cast and other actors? I know one surprise that came up during rehearsals was discovering so many people play instruments. Any other surprises along the way?
I think one of the things that I loved - we went to New York when we were trying to cast Becky, which is such a beautiful role. She sings 鈥淚 Didn't Plan it,鈥� which is just insanely beautiful. We had two days of casting in New York, and our Becky, Tyler Ray Lewis, walked in at the end of our second day. They were our last appointment on our second day. I swear we were in a three-story building, and I swear they could hear her from every angle. They crushed it so much. And Mike, my music director, was playing, and he was on his feet. He literally got up, and he was on his feet playing, and as soon as they were done, we were like, 鈥淥kay, that's done. We're casting that person.鈥�
Reminds me of the musical movie 鈥淭he Fabulous Baker Boys鈥� where Michelle Pfeiffer is the last singer audition of the day, and she gets cast.
Yeah, we were like that, and I love those moments. I love when someone just jumps out and grabs that.
What do you hope people take away from this show?
I think the most important thing is understanding that family is chosen. So choose your family.
And you see that in the theater.
Yeah, exactly. Choose the people that are going to support you and be there for you, and whatever that means, right?
Well, I have my tickets for the show, so tell our audience how they can get theirs.
We open April 11. You can go to and get your tickets, or you can call the box office. We're already more than half sold, so if you want your tickets, you probably need to try and get them soon. And then we close in June, and we start 鈥淒isaster,鈥� which is our next very fun, silly show.
Looking forward to that!
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
