Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles is headed back to Broadway, this time as the lead role of Jenna in Waitress. Jenna was originally played by actress Keri Russell in the 2007 movie of the same name. Jennifer will star in the musical from October 19th through November 24th at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
The role of Jenna is currently being played by another musician, Sara Bareilles, who wrote the lyrics and music for the show. Jennifer told People.com, “Sara is my dear friend of mine and when Waitress first came out, I was so excited for her. Loved the project, loved the show, loved the material and wanted to be able to be a part of this beautiful legacy that my friend had created. But we were just never able to make it work in terms of timing, so to be able to now be a part of it, and this beautiful celebration of Broadway's reopening? It's just like, the stars have aligned. The right thing happens at the right time.”
Jennifer previously took on the role of Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago in 2015.
Her latest solo project is appropriately an album of songs from various Broadway shows called Always Like New.