INTERVIEW: Dominique Kent lives out her dreams in ‘Waitress’ national tour
Image courtesy of State Theatre / Provided by official site.
Waitress, the hugely successful musical that played Broadway twice, is currently on a national tour that will play this weekend, April 14-16, at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The show, with music by Sara Bareilles, tells the story of a waitress named Jenna (Jisel Soleil Ayon) who dreams of one day breaking out of her marriage and her small town. One of the pivotal characters in the show is Becky, played by Dominique Kent on the national tour.
For Kent, this opportunity has been a dream come true. She is proud to say that this role is her national tour debut.
“Back in April of 2021, I got an initial audition through my agent who asked me to submit for the Waitress tour, the Becky understudy and ensemble, and I did the whole process,” Kent said in a recent phone interview. “I didn’t hear back, so I assumed I didn’t get it. And come November, the tour was already out; it started in September. I got another email asking to resubmit because they needed a replacement, so I resubmitted the same materials, the same thing for Becky understudy and ensemble. And then about two weeks after my second audition, I got a call saying that I booked the lead role of Becky on the tour, which was super exciting. I can literally remember. I had just woken up. … I live in L.A., so it was 9 a.m. my time. I immediately burst into tears hearing the words, ‘You have gotten the role. Congratulations.’ And I was on a plane in two days to New York City for rehearsals to join the cast in Syracuse to then perform that following weekend. It was a very fast process.”
Kent, whose other credits include All Shook Up and Hairspray, said she remembers her first performance vividly. It was Dec. 11, an important day each year for the performer. That’s not only the day she debuted in Waitress, but it’s also the day of her late mother’s birthday.
“I had lost my mom a couple years back, so it was very full circle for me to be making my national tour debut on my mom’s birthday,” she said. “It was just surreal in a show that I have loved since it came out in 2016. I was so excited to be playing this role and getting to show this character off to the world, or at least my version of Becky, and then to also have the emotions of having my mom in spirit with me and then having this amazing cast, who I had just met three days prior, show me so much love and support on stage as well. It was absolutely surreal.”
Kent said that Becky is everyone’s best friend. She described the character as funny and sassy, like a big sister. The actor particularly appreciates the role’s energy, wit and sense of humor, and Kent loves how Becky tells people what’s on her mind.
“She’s seen it all,” Kent said. “She’s a waitress in this small town, and she’s married to her husband. And she never got a chance to really live outside of this town, so she knows everyone. She knows all the locals. She knows Joe. She knows people at their core. … It’s a lot to love when I get to really showcase a lot of myself in Becky, which is why I love her so much.”
Kent grew up singing in church at the age of 4. When she was in the sixth grade, she saw her first musical, which was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats. She fell in love with musical theater at that moment (she knows Cats has its critics, but she loves the show).
“Oh my gosh, singing and dancing and acting, I need to be a part of it, and that took me into my first musical that I did, which was Once Upon a Mattress,” she said. “And I fell in love with it. I knew that it was something that I really, really wanted to do in my life, and growing up in a performing arts middle school and high school, I got to really express myself, which then led to my college years of studying and training in musical theater, which was fun.”
Along the way, from that early experience of watching Cats to landing the part of Becky in the national tour of Waitress, Kent has kept her parents in the forefront of her mind. She holds a special place in her heart every single night when she takes to the stage. “My mom and my dad were my biggest supporters,” Kent said. “With not having them here on earth with us anymore, I get to have them with me in spirit, which means they get a front-row seat every night.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Waitress, featuring Dominique Kent, will play April 14-16 at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Click here for more information and tickets.
