This warm, funny musical hit me harder than I ever expected - I felt the power of these women

Surrounded by difficult, flawed men, Jenna, Becky and Dawn each carve out their own path to happiness, discovering strength, independence and a quiet, powerful sense of empowerment along the way.

There’s something instantly comforting about Waitress. Maybe it’s the diner setting, maybe it’s the promise of pie, or maybe it’s the way the show quietly wraps you up in its warmth before you even realise what it’s doing. And right now, it’s serving all of that up at the Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday.

But don’t be fooled, this isn’t just a feel-good musical. There’s real substance here, and it lands.

It’s a deeply emotional watch, one that had tears streaming down my face as it follows three women, each trapped in their own kind of unhappiness, owning their flaws yet quietly refusing to settle for the lives they’ve been handed.

At the centre of it all is Carrie Hope Fletcher as Jenna, and honestly, she feels made for this role. There’s a natural ease to her performance that makes everything believable, whether she’s cracking jokes, falling apart, or pouring everything she has into a song. And when those big moments hit, you feel them.

What really stands out is how the story centres on strong women who are constantly having to navigate the chaos created by the men around them.

Whether it’s the cantankerous old Joe, the foolish diner boss Cal, or Jenna’s selfish and controlling husband Earl who keeps her feeling trapped in her own life, the contrast only makes the women’s resilience shine brighter.

What really sneaks up on you, though, is how the show builds this quiet but powerful sense of female empowerment. It’s not loud or forced. It grows. Jenna, Becky and Dawn each start in very different places, but as the story unfolds, you see them slowly take control of their own lives, making choices on their own terms.

By the end, it feels earned. Each of them finds their own version of happiness, not perfectly, not magically, but honestly. And that’s what makes it emotional. It feels real.

There’s plenty of humour woven through it too. The audience is laughing one minute and completely still the next. That balance is what Waitress does best. It knows when to lean into the light and when to sit in the heavier moments, particularly around Jenna’s relationship with Earl, which is handled with care and never brushed aside.

Musically, it’s just gorgeous. Sara Bareilles’ score doesn’t feel like songs dropped into a story. It is the story. From the playful to the heartbreaking, every number pushes things forward, and when Jenna finally lets her guard down, it hits hard.

Not to forget, the other ladies in the show - it is brought to life beautifully by Sandra Marvin’s bold, sharp-tongued Becky, Evelyn Hoskins’ endearingly awkward and warm Dawn, and a brilliantly sassy turn from Nurse Norma that adds an extra spark of humour and heart.

Les Dennis as Joe, who brings a gruff warmth to the role, and I have to admit, there was a real starstruck moment seeing him on stage, like a little flash of childhood TV nostalgia right in front of me.

But mainly it’s all about the women. Even the production and creation of the show. This is why I loved it so deeply.

By the time it reaches its final moments, there’s this quiet swell of emotion that catches you off guard. It’s hopeful without being unrealistic. Messy, but uplifting. You walk out feeling like something has shifted, like you’ve watched people find strength they didn’t know they had.

And maybe that’s the magic of Waitress.

Underneath the pies and the humour, it’s really about people learning they deserve more and slowly, bravely, going after it.

Runs until Saturday, book here.