The first pictures of Ashley Roberts and Lucie Jones in rehearsals for Waitress have been released.
Jones will take over the lead role of Jenna when Katharine McPhee leaves the show later this month, with Roberts making her West End debut in the role of Dawn.
The musical, written by Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson, tells the story of waitress and pie-maker Jenna, who is stuck in a small town and a difficult marriage. She conspires with her workmates Dawn and Becky (played by Marisha Wallace) to find a way out of her situation.
It opened at the Adelphi Theatre earlier this year, with Evening Standard critic Henry Hitchings awarding the show four stars in his review. He wrote that “the show...mostly subverts its moments of sentimentality and silliness, and there’s a whole lot of humour baked into it.”
Roberts recently told the Standard that her appearance on Strictly Come Dancing had given her the confidence to make her West End debut.
She said: “I was coming off the back of Strictly, which gave me that boost again for wanting to go out there and perform. I thought, ‘Maybe I would love to do theatre now - I’m 37 years old, I’ve never done it before - why not?’ It’s a really exciting creative challenge.”
Roberts and Jones will join the company alongside Inbetweeners star Blake Harrison on June 17, with the musical now booking until October 19. Wallace, David Hunter, Shaun Prendergast and Peter Hannah are all continuing in their roles. Laura Baldwin, who originated the role of Dawn in the London production, will rejoin the cast at the end of the summer.
