Casting has been announced for the Australian Premiere of Broadway’s smash-hit musical WAITRESS, which will light up Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne from 1 May, and the Sydney Lyric Theatre from 1 August. Tickets are now on sale.
Leading the cast as Jenna will be Natalie Bassingthwaighte (Chicago, Shirley Valentine), while Gabriyel Thomas (Cats, Sister Act) and Mackenzie Dunn (Grease, Annie) play Becky and Dawn, Jenna’s coworkers at the diner. Charismatic star of stage and screen Rob Mills (& Juliet, Wicked) will play Dr Pomatter, and legendary actor John Waters (The Woman in Black, Play School) will be Joe, the owner of the diner.
One of Australia’s most popular leading ladies of stage and screen, Natalie Bassingthwaighte will play of Jenna, an unhappily married waitress in a small US town. Natalie’s music career has seen her achieve acclaim as one of only twenty Australian solo female artists to reach Number One on the ARIA Album Charts with her solo album, 1000 STARS. She has enjoyed international success as front woman of The Rogue Traders, achieving multi-platinum sales across two albums, as well as two APRA nominations, an MTV award win and seven ARIA nominations. Most recently lauded for her performance on stage in the title role of last year’s Australian tour of Shirley Valentine, Natalie has created many memorable characters on stage including Roxie in Chicago, Mary-Jane in Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, Sandy in Grease and Florence Vassy in Chess. Her work on television includes the original host of So You Think You Can Dance, judge on The X Factor, and competing alongside her sister Mel on The Amazing Race.
Direct from her acclaimed performance as Grizabella in the national tour of Cats, the role of Becky, the irascible waitress with a wicked sense of humour, will be played by Gabriyel Thomas. Gabriyel’s other credits included Michelle and sometimes the lead role of Deloris Van Cartier in the Australian tour of Sister Act, The Sound of Music, Ragtime and the Australian and US tours of Hairspray.
Most recently seen on stage as Lily St Regis in the Australian tour of Annie, Mackenzie Dunn will be Dawn, the eccentric youngest waitress at the diner. Mackenzie has also played Rizzo in Grease, Penny Pingleton in Hairspray, Squeaky Fromme in Assassins, Francine in Jersey Boys, Evelyn Nesbit in Ragtime, Bubba in Summer of the Seventeenth Doll and understudied and performed the role of Princess Fiona in the Australian tour of Shrek.
Charming stage and screen star Rob Mills will be playing Dr Pomatter, Jenna’s endearing but neurotic gynaecologist. Rob has had celebrated roles in musicals including & Juliet, Wicked, Hairspray, Ghost, Jesus Christ Superstar and Grease, and on screen in Neighbours, Winners and Losers, Dancing With The Stars and the 2025 season of The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition.
As Joe, the curmudgeonly diner owner who has a soft spot for Jenna, will be stage icon John Waters. With a career spanning over 50 years, John is well known for lead roles in the film Breaker Morant and the television series Rush, All the Rivers Run, Rake and his 20-year run on Play School. His prolific stage work includes Hair, Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar in the 1970s, through to the musicals The Rocky Horror Show, They’re Playing Our Song opposite Jackie Weaver, The Sound of Music opposite Lisa McCune and most recently the thrilling play The Woman in Black.
“I’m overjoyed to announce this extraordinarily talented cast. They will beautifully bring to life the delightful characters in this original and inspiring production,” said John Frost. “WAITRESS was a massive hit on Broadway where it played for almost four years, and was a huge success in the West End and across the world. WAITRESS has become a ‘must see’ musical, with its memorable music by Sara Bareilles and universal themes of hope and resilience. Get your tickets now to enjoy this life-affirming show.”
Inspired by Adrienne Shelly’s beloved film, and brought to life by a trailblazing female-led creative team, including a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson, an original, uplifting score by Grammy winner Sara Bareilles (Love Song, Brave) and direction by Tony winner Diane Paulus, WAITRESS is the irresistible Broadway hit about resilience, friendship and hope that has captured hearts worldwide.
This heartwarming and empowering musical tells the story of Jenna, a small-town waitress and expert pie maker who longs to escape her rocky marriage and start again. When a baking contest, an unexpected new romance and the support of her fellow waitresses offer her a taste of change, Jenna discovers that the secret ingredient to happiness might be closer than she ever imagined.
WAITRESS made history on Broadway with the four top creative spots in a show being filled by women – Sara Bareilles (music and lyrics), Jessie Nelson (book), Lorin Latarro (choreography) and Diane Paulus (direction). It opened on Broadway in April 2016 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it ran until January 2020. WAITRESS was originally produced by Barry & Fran Weissler and Norton and Elayne Herrick.
