Nicolette Robinson is no stranger to the New York City stage or the screen, but it’s only recently that she’s seen her face on a billboard in Times Square.
The reason? “Waitress,” which marks her Broadway debut. Previously, she appeared Off-Broadway in “Invisible Thread” at Second Stage Theater, “Brooklynite” at the Vineyard Theatre, and in several other regional shows. She’s also known for playing a recurring role on Showtime’s “The Affair” and has appeared on “Hart of Dixie,” “Unforgettable,” and “Cold Case,” among other projects.
“Waitress” is a very women-centric production. Based upon the 2007 motion picture written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, “Waitress” is the first Broadway musical in history to have four women in the four top creative team spots, with a book by Jessie Nelson, a score by six-time Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, choreography by Lorin Latarro, and direction by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus. Other women in the cast include Natasha Yvette Williams from Broadway’s “Chicago” and “The Color Purple,” and Katie Lowes from “Scandal.”
We sat down with Robinson recently to talk about why her role in “Waitress” is so significant, finding balance in her personal and professional lives, and what kinds of roles are important to her moving forward.
“Waitress” is playing at NYC’s Brooks Atkinson Theatre. Robinson will play the title role until October 28.
This interview has been edited.
W&H: You’ve acted in film, TV, and on Off-Broadway, but this is your Broadway debut. What has the experience been like so far?
NR: It’s a dream. As a kid, I saw my first Broadway show when I was 13 on a trip to New York. My mom used to take me to a bunch of shows.
I think back to how deeply it hit me when I saw a strong woman in a show. I had seen “Aida” and it just stayed with me through my entire childhood. It helped me to see what’s possible. It also gave me a blueprint for what I wanted to do with my life.
Being on Broadway feels like a lot of responsibility and an absolute honor. I’m just really excited to have this opportunity to hopefully push a young woman’s dreams forward.
W&H: How did “Waitress” fall into your lap? I understand that you loved this play, that it was your dream role.
NR: I fell in love with the show shortly after it opened in 2016. I got a phone call in April of this year from the show’s creative team asking if I would put myself on tape because I was in Los Angeles at the time. The following week they flew me to New York for an hour-long session and we read scenes, sang, and talked.
When we were done, our producer Barry Weissler came out and told me that they really wanted to work with me, which is so rare. You don’t usually get an answer right after an audition. He said that he couldn’t officially offer the job to me at that moment but that they wanted to work with me. Then I got the actual phone call a week later and just cried with my mom in Los Angeles.
Even though I had been given a little bit of hope after the audition that it would happen, there’s always a part of you as an actor who has experienced so many no’s, that there was the pessimistic side of me that thought it would all fall apart.
Robinson: Bjoern Kommerell
W&H: After having your baby a year ago, did you take time off? I read that you were having doubts about your career.
NR: When I got pregnant and then had my daughter, I struggled with how I would even get back into work. It’s emotionally and physically hard, and logistically challenging. You need a huge support system. I was dealing with all the challenges of how and if I would ever get back into work.
When this role came along, I flew to New York on my daughter’s first birthday for my final call-back and that was very emotional for me. It was fine, she won’t remember, and we had a big party that weekend for her. But it’s kind of amazing that it happened on her first birthday. We had made it through a whole year.
It takes a long time to get your footing as a mom, and figure out where you stand emotionally and how to raise a human being and balance your own life at the same time. It felt like the right time — like I was able to step into my own fulfillment.
W&H: It’s an interesting time to be in “Waitress.” It tells the stories of some of the struggles women go through with new motherhood, balancing careers, and being a survivor of domestic violence. What’s it like being in a play with so much social relevance?
NR: It’s so important. You dream as a performer to work on something that not only moves you but moves other people. I center myself every day before each performance, trying to think about who I’m trying to reach in this performance: Am I trying to inspire someone who’s in a really difficult relationship and doesn’t feel the strength to get out of it? Am I trying to inspire someone with my own personal story?
I’ve waited for so many years to have this moment. Will it touch someone experiencing uncertainty in their own career, in their own life? There are so many things that this show touches on. It gives me purpose and inspires me to tell a really important story every night. That’s the dream — to be passionate about what you are doing every single day.
W&H: You’re also the first woman of color to take the lead in the Sara Bareilles musical. How important is that to you and to the show?
NR: It’s amazing, The best part of it for me is meeting audience members and fans at the backstage door after the show and hearing their stories and appreciation for this moment. This moment is so special for me in my own life, but I also understand how important it is for so many other people. It’s a window or a door that’s opening for so many people.
I’ve loved this role for so long, and it has been played by so many beautiful, talented white women. I just figured I would be a fan of the show, and I didn’t realize it was a possibility I could even play this role. Now I hope many, many other women of all colors have the chance.
W&H: “Waitress” is the first Broadway musical in history to have four women in the four top creative team spots, and you also play alongside some very strong female leads. What is it like having so much female camaraderie and being among so many accomplished women?
NR: To be a part of a show that is led by incredibly strong and talented women and to be on stage with incredibly strong and talented women pushes me to find more strength within myself. I love that the story celebrates womanhood. It celebrates so many important themes and unites us.
I think we are in a time right now where people are trying to connect. Growing up, it was a different time for me. Women were competitive with one another. But right now it feels like we are trying to come together, boost each other up, and support one another. This show feels like a celebration of that.
W&H: Since you’re also a woman in Hollywood, how would you describe that part of your life, particularly as an actress living through the #MeToo movement?
NR: I certainly have experienced different levels of what the #MeToo movement is about. I think this time is about women standing up for themselves and finding their strength. We raise our women and we raise our men in certain ways, and I think we are finally understanding that we need to change some of how we raise our children. We need to raise women to feel empowered, to feel strong, to feel like they can say no when they need to. We need to raise our men as well to respect women and one another and see women as mothers, and as sisters, and as daughters.
It’s also an important time with what’s going on in politics. People need to take responsibility. People need to feel heard. We need to find community and strength within one another. It’s an important time. It’s a time we will look back on in the same way as the women’s movement in the 1970s and all the different movements we’ve gone through. This one is just as important — particularly for our children.
W&H: Has this play taught you what types of roles you want in the future?
NR: I’m so open for whatever comes next after this. I hope it opens the door to something that feels as meaningful. I’m so artistically fulfilled at this moment, and I’m grateful to go on such a deep, layered journey every night. I just hope that whatever comes next is a similar journey.
