After winning her first Tony Award, Syracuse University alumna Jessie Mueller returns to Broadway in her upcoming musical, “Waitress.”

Mueller, who graduated in 2005, won her Tony in 2014 for playing the songwriter Carole King in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.”

“Waitress,” a new musical based on the 2007 movie starring Keri Russell, tells the story of a pie-baking waitress, Jenna, and her struggles with an oppressive husband and unwanted pregnancy.

The production is being described as history-in-the-making by being the first musical to have an all-female creative team, which includes Grammy Award-winning artist Sara Bareilles, who wrote the score. The rest of the creative team consists of director Diane Paulus, book writer Jessie Nelson and choreographer Lorin Latarro.

The Daily Orange spoke with Mueller about being a part of “Waitress” and rehearsing for previews, which begin on Friday.

The Daily Orange: How have rehearsals for “Waitress” been going?

Jessie Mueller: We’re in the thick of it right now, and we’re already texting about where my mic’s going to go and how we’re going to make the pregnancy boobs work, and all that funny stuff. But this process has just been unlike any other. The team has been so collaborative and very open. We’re all in the trenches together — that’s what it feels like — and I think ultimately we’re going to come out with something really special because of that.

Clare Ramirez | Asst. Copy Editor

The D.O.: How did you feel when you found out “Waitress” had Broadway’s first all-female creative team?

J.M.: It’s funny because I didn’t know it going in. I guess I had assumed it had happened before. But now looking at it, it’s awesome thing. It’s an honor because if it means that the young girls can look at this theme now and say, “OK, that’s a thing that can happen,” then that’s important. I don’t think about it a lot because to me, they just got the right people to do the job … But if it’s opening doors for generations to come, then it’s pretty cool to be part of.

The D.O.: What made you want to be involved in the musical?

J.M.: I had seen the movie shortly after it had come out. … It’s quirky and funny, but it’s got darkness and reality to it. It really felt like it was telling a very human story. By that point when I had heard about (the musical), I heard Sara Bareilles was connected to it and writing the score. And I heard some early demos of hers and I was blown away by the stuff that she had written for the show. Sometimes I think it’s hard to tell if something is good and if this is going work, especially when it’s a really rough demo. But there was no doubt in my mind. Amazing.

The D.O.: How is preparing for the role of Jenna different from your role as Carole King?

J.M.: Thematically, there are similarities. They’re both stories of women emerging, having personal breakthroughs, and coming into their strengths. I’m intrigued by stories like that because I find them interesting, and I always feel like I’m trying to break through something and find more strength and more direction in my own life. But honestly, in some ways, they feel so different. In every show you do, you start over again. Sometimes I feel like I have to re-learn everything. It’s like you’ve never done it before, almost and in some ways that’s the joy of it. It’s really sort of exploring it and figuring it all out again. Vocally, they feel very different to me. With “Beautiful” I was trying to do something specific vocally. With this show, it’s a little bit more like using more elements of my voice. Plus, Sara writes for her own voice — and she has an insane voice, in a good way. But her range and her dexterity — they’re quite unique. It’s been a great challenge for me to sing the score and find where it fits in my own voice. Ultimately, it’s just a pleasure to sing the music and so fun.

The D.O.: Do you have a favorite song from the musical?

J.M.: I think one of my favorite ones to sing is a song called “Bad Idea.” It’s one that a lot of people who have heard about the show probably know because Sara put it out on the record … It’s a duet with Drew Gehling, and it’s sort of high energy. It’s just sort of like you’re just jumping on a train and it just goes and takes off. It’s too much fun to sing.

The D.O.: Do you ever find yourself relating to Jenna?

J.M.: Oh yeah, absolutely. It’s a very human story about somebody who is exploring her worthiness of love and whether she is worthy of that, and whether she’s worthy of happiness. And I think she second-guesses that for a great deal of the play — I think anybody can relate to that, but I certainly can. There’s something about her vulnerability that I relate to, and I’ve fallen in love with her because I feel like her vulnerability in the beginning of the story transitions into her strength by the end. One of the ways that happens is when she becomes accepting of her vulnerabilities and her bad decisions. It’s the good, the bad and the ugly.

The D.O.: What do you hope audiences will get from this musical?

J.M.: For me I think it can be very healing. I think it’s about a lot of people learning how to heal. It’s also extremely funny and entertaining, but I think healing is what I want people to take away from it. That’s the best way I can describe it. Any time you go into a theater and you see something honest in front of you, there’s the ability to connect as an audience member. When you see any piece of art and you relate to it whether it’s somebody’s good moment or somebody’s dark moment, it’s ultimately the feeling of “I’m not alone” and “I’m not the only human on the planet that feels this way,” whether it’s sad or unworthy or unloved. It’s just a bunch of lovely, wonderful, quirky human beings going through life, and I think that’s a great thing for people to watch and experience.

Published on March 23, 2016 at 9:34 pm

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu