Sara Bareilles does not speak French. Not a word. But the creator of the musical Waitress still couldn’t hold back her tears when hearing Marie-Eve Janvier perform the Quebec versions of her songs. “This kind of emotion transcends the language barrier,” confides the American.
“Marie-Eve Janvier’s voice is capable of conveying so much emotion that I don’t need to understand the words in French to be moved. We are incredibly lucky that she is the one who brings the character of Jenna to life here, in Quebec,” continues Sara Bareilles, met by The newspaper during a quick visit to the St-Denis Theater.
The singer-songwriter wanted to come to Montreal to see the very first French-language version of the musical she created for Broadway around ten years ago.
Global success
By her own admission, she was far from suspecting, at the time, that Waitress would enjoy such resounding success. In addition to continuing to attract crowds in New York today, his work has undergone numerous adaptations across the planet, acclaimed from Poland to Japan, including Argentina, the Philippines and Finland.
“It’s beyond my wildest dreams! I remember saying to myself that I hoped I could do a year on Broadway. And today, there are hundreds of theaters around the world putting on their production of Waitress. It is the translations and adaptations that allow the show to continue to evolve by introducing this story to new audiences,” breathes Sara Bareilles.
A demanding role
This story is that of Jenna, a waitress trapped in a loveless marriage with an abusive partner. When she learns that she is pregnant, she sees a pastry competition as the lifeline she was desperately looking for.
The role of Jenna is also particularly demanding, underlines Sara Bareilles. And she speaks knowingly; in addition to having written and composed the songs for the show, she herself donned the apron of the heroine of Waitress on several occasions over the years.
“Jenna almost never leaves the stage, she goes through the whole range of emotions… It can be exhausting! But Marie-Eve does it with such lightness and generosity that it seems as if she was born to play this role. She has this humanity, this warmth and this solidity which are essential to embody Jenna. And these are qualities that cannot be learned; they are innate,” confides Sara Bareilles.
- Musical comedy Waitress is presented at the St-Denis Theater until July 28. She will then take the stage at the Salle Albert-Rousseau in Quebec City starting August 10.
