Where Is the Musical Waitress Set?

This is not my typical purview, but I have an answer to the question: Where is the musical Waitress set?

I googled this myself just a few minutes ago as I watched Waitress: The Musical (now streaming on Max), only to be informed that the answer could not be more specific than “the American South” — something certainly born out by the quite Southern-fried (lol) accents of the cast. The New York Theatre Guide describes the setting as “a small-town Southern diner.”

However! This is not the right answer, unless Indiana is the American South.

Here’s how we know: Visible in the set’s backdrop (is that what they call it?? I am not a theater professional) are three highway signs: one for Interstate 70, one for U.S. Highway 40, and one for what I believed to be a state highway, 27.

You can just about see it in the image above and zoomed in below — it’s right between the redhead’s hair and Dawn’s elbow.

Now, we could reason that these are just random signs, but indeed, one character (I think it’s Jenna, played in Waitress: The Musical by Sara Bareilles) says that the diner is along Route 27, so there you go.

Having done a bit of research (read: ChatGPT), I discovered that one area where I-70 and US 40 convene, with a nearby State Highway 27, is: Richmond, Indiana.

I followed up to ask if there were any “Springfield”s near Richmond — and indeed, quite a famous one: Springfield, Ohio — home to Waitress‘s pie contest. It’s 60 miles away.

I was slightly thrown by the dating profile handle of Becky’s boyfriend Ogie, which references Oklahoma City (“OKCWithABullet”), but believe this to be a reference to his former home.

Also, Waitress: The Musical is of course based on the Adrienne Shelley (non-musical) film of the same name. I haven’t seen it, but Wikipedia identifies its setting as “the American South.” For the record, the movie was filmed in and around Santa Clarita and Agua Dolce, California.

Back to where Waitress: The Musical is set: Confirmation comes right at the end, when Earl bursts into Jenna’s delivery room to announce that the [Indiana] Colts are “up by 10.” It all comes together!

So! The answer to the question: Where is Waitress the musical set? Richmond, Indiana, near Springfield, Ohio, and in the fandom of the Colts.