Broadway-Bound Nicolette Robinson on Going From Waitress Fan to Waitress Star | Playbill

Broadway News Broadway-Bound Nicolette Robinson on Going From Waitress Fan to Waitress Star Robinson will make her Broadway debut as Jenna in the Sara Bareilles musical beginning September 4.
Nicolette Robinson Matt Murphy

Before making her Broadway debut in Waitress, Nicolette Robinson stopped by NBC’s New York Live August 20 to discuss the career milestone—a milestone that also marks a couple of firsts for the Sara Bareilles musical.

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Nicolette Robinson Odom Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

“I have all the butterflies,” Robinson (Off-Broadway’s Invisible Thread, Brooklynite) admitted, two weeks into rehearsals. “My brain is full of my blocking and my lines and my songs—all the things, but it’s glorious.”

Robinson has been a fan of composer Bareilles “since she came on the scene,” and her discography (especially her Tony-nominated score) has particular resonance: “It became a source of healing for me in a really hard time during my pregnancy.”

Robinson will be the first off-stage mother to play Jenna, who navigates complex ambivalence while expecting a child in an abusive relationship. She’ll also be the first woman of color to take center stage in the musical.

“I feel like this is a victory for all of us together,” she said. “It’s important to see yourself on the stage and screen....we need to see each other.”

Take a look at the interview below.

Robinson will play a limited engagement at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre September 4 through October 28; understudy Stephanie Torns takes on the role of Jenna for a two-week engagement in the interim following Katharine McPhee’s recent stint.

 
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