Didn't think Sara Bareilles, the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter and Broadway lyricist/composer of the hit musical Waitress, could become even more fabulous? Think again. According to an announcement published in Vulture, Sara has entered into "final talks" to take the lead role of Jenna Hunterson from actress Jessie Mueller. Didja' hear that? She could potentially be performing the lead role in her own musical. That's the dream: write and compose a musical in which you get to be the star.
Just to give you an idea of this beauty's recent achievements (as her lifelong achievements would take considerably longer to discuss), here are the top ones:
She released a "concept album" of songs from her musical during its off-Broadway run.
The album What's Inside: Songs from Waitresswas released during the show's off-Broadway premiere at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sara herself sings the songs of leading ladies Becky, Dawn, and, oh look, Jenna! How perfect! Even more fascinating are the differences in these songs vs. the Broadway version; either way, this album showcases Sara's skill with her musical theatre rep and all the reasons for a sensible transition from lyricist/composer to actress!
Her musical was nominated for five Tony Awards and a Grammy
In several interviews, Sara sighted her nerves regarding the task set for her: composing for Broadway. She had several albums under belt, and she even composed for The Spongebob Musical(yes, that's a thing), but this was another process entirely. She even said that she requested Director Diane Paulus to intervene if her compositional chops weren't up to snuff. Of course, that didn't happen, and instead, Sara's work was nominated for five, count 'em, five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. And if Waitress (and the rest of Broadway) didn't have to go to bat against Hamilton, it's likely that Sara would've walked away with at least one Tony.
She wrote a book, too.
That's right. It wasn't enough to be a kick-ass singer/songwriter-turned-lyricist/composer, no: she added author to her list of accomplishments. The book has a unique setup, namely existing as a series of essays of how each of her songs, notable titles from "Love Song" to "Between the Lines" were inspired from the events of her life, and how her career as a musician has impacted her life. It's a sassy, raunchy, beautiful collection of words and a must-read for Sara fans.
Unfortunately, there's no call-to-action part of this, no petition to sign to convince the theater higher-ups to let Sara take the lead role of her musical. All we can do is sit and pray that she'll be belting out her music on Broadway sometime soon!
