Behind the Scenes of Waitress: Dozens of Local Girls Hope to Nab the Role of Lulu

Little girls took over Charlotte’s Booth Playhouse recently, when the producers of Waitress hosted local auditions for the role of “Lulu.” Described in the casting announcement as a “sweet and carefree” girl of about four or five years of age, Lulu appears in the last scene of the popular musical about a waitress stuck in a small town and an unhappy marriage, who finds renewed hope by entering a baking contest.

 

 

Waitress, which features a musical score by Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles, is returning to Charlotte for a special five-week engagement at the intimate Booth Playhouse, April 19 - May 22.

 

The production, which took its final New York bow this past December, was one of the longest running shows in recent Broadway history. It had more than 1500 performances since the curtain first went up in 2016. This limited run, Equity remounting of the show, will be coming to just two U.S. cities, Charlotte and Cleveland.

 

About 40 young girls participated in the auditions, which were overseen by seasoned Broadway dancer and choreographer Lorin Latarro. Her recent production credits include Mrs. Doubtfire and Les Liaisons Dangereuses on Broadway and La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera.

 

(The creative team for the Broadway musical “Waitress.” Lorin Latarro, Sara Bareilles, Diane Paulus and Jessie Nelson are a rare all-women team in charge of a Broadway show. WALTER MCBRIDE / WIREIMAGE)

 

Latarro also created the original Broadway choreography for Waitress, working alongside Bareilles (Music and Lyrics), Jessie Nelson (Book) and Diane Paulus (Director). The quartet made Broadway history as the first musical with an all-female leadership team in its four key creative roles.

 

What Latarro looks for during auditions

 

As girls stepped on stage to meet Latarro, she first asked them a little about themselves. Her goal was to get a sense of each child’s personality.

 

“It’s a blast to see these kids,”  said Latarro, who flew in for the day from New York to conduct the auditions. “I have a four year old so it’s really fun to see how other four year olds are.”

 

She then taught them a short sequence of movement and text from the show—pointing in one direction, turning to wave and speak a line, before jumping into the arms of a stranger on the stage.

 

 

She was looking for two young performers to split the role, who would be comfortable being alone onstage without their parents and could follow instructions.

 

Latarro’s had a lot of experience working with children on stage, including choreographing three massive "Public Works" in conjunction with New York’s Public Theater. Those productions included as many as 200 New Yorkers, many of them kids, appearing onstage at the outdoor Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

 

Young kids are great to work with, she said, because they want to learn and please others. “Being given instruction is right up a preschooler’s alley.”

 

Meet a few of the girls who auditioned

 

The girls who auditioned came in with a wide range of experiences.

 

Some of them, like five year old Johanna, had never been on stage before. Her mom, Marley Shropshire, who works professionally in the theater industry, heard about the auditions and asked Johanna if she’d like to try.

 

“At least I have the right dress,” Johanna announced, hugging her stuffed horse close to her. “I have polka dots.”

 

Shropshire, a writer, director and producer, said she was excited to see productions opening up again and that theater is coming back in Charlotte and across the country.

 

On the other side of the lobby was five year old Evelyn and her mom, Lizzy Coleman, who heard about the auditions from her daughter’s preschool music teacher.

 

“She said that Evelyn has such a lively, energetic personality,” Coleman recalled. “She thought she would make a great Lulu… and  we thought it would be a fun opportunity for Evelyn.”

 

Evelyn, who showed up wearing two big red bows in her hair, has already had some stage experience; she recently had fun playing Angel #3 in her school’s nativity play. She also has tons of ideas of what she might want to be when she grows up. At the top of her list is becoming a painter.

 

“I also want to be a ballerina,” she added in her bubbly voice.

 

Nearby, four year old Vivien, with short cropped hair, sat rifling through some toys in a tin lunch box and coloring pictures, while her older brothers played nearby.

 

“Sometimes auditions can be a little long,” her mom, Ginger Martin, said.

 

Vivien and her siblings are used to them. “She did her first commercial when she was 18 months old,” said Martin, who is also an actor. Vivien also recently appeared in a student film for Savannah College of Art and Design, along with her brothers. They are third generation actors, Martin said.

 

 

Blumenthal productions are special to Martin and her husband. The two have been subscribers since well before Vivien was born.

 

Ten years ago, shortly after moving to Charlotte, Martin’s husband bought them a PNC Broadway Lights Series theater subscription in honor of their first (“paper”) wedding anniversary. Martin said it continues to provide the perfect date night for the couple.

 

Now, she’s waiting to see if Vivien will get her big chance to appear on stage at the same place that’s brought them so much joy over the years.

 

“This is such an amazing opportunity for her,” Martin said, “and I’m just holding my breath.”

 

For children who are interested in performing, choreographer Latarro offers some advice. Put them in classes to let them figure out what they love and start bringing them to see shows, she said.

 

“I think those are the two best things you can do.”