Broadway production, "Waitress," comes to South Bend with local ties

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- “I love how it is a show about sisterhood. It starts with three waitresses; Dawn, Jenna and Becky opening up the day together at the diner. Not so much a spoiler alert, it ends the same way, with the three girls running the diner together,” says Gabriella Marzetta, Dawn in Waitress.  “It’s a huge relief in some ways. When I started back on the road, I never want to take for granted performing or being in a show ever again.”

For Gabriella Marzetta, home is on the stage.

“It’s super hard but in the end super rewarding because even looking back over the past couple months, I’m like… I cannot believe me and my cast survived all of those tribulations,” says Gabriella.

The Chicago native plays the role of dawn in Waitress, a Broadway musical with music and lyrics written by Grammy award nominee, Sara Bareilles. After having their production put on pause due to the pandemic, the cast is once again taking the stage.

And now, they can be found at the Morris in South Bend. While the stage is Gabriella’s home away from home, South Bend has yet another connection for the star.

“I would describe Gianna as quirky, a chatty Cathy in all the best ways,” says Gabriella. “She loves to connect with others. She’s very kind, empathetic. She also stands up for what she wants, and will put her foot down. I feel like I’ve gotten that from her.”

“She has always been super outspoken and creative, a lot of memories of her is singing in the shower which drove me crazy at the time, still does,” says Gianna Marzetta, Morning Executive Producer for ABC57 News. “But her passion for what she does is inspiring to me.”

The Marzetta family has a passion for art beyond just the stage, but television too! Gabriella’s sister, Gianna, is the Morning Executive Producer for our ABC57 news team. For Gabriella, coming to South Bend not only celebrates performing again, but showing her sister the show for the first time.

“I’ve literally been waiting for her to see this show since I booked it,” says Gabriella. “It has been so disappointing, you know when the pandemic started we kept seeing the shows being pushed back, rescheduled and canceled. At that point my whole family pretty much had seen me in the show in 2019 and 2020, except for Gianna.”

“This is the first time I am going to see her, there are commercials even airing on ABC57 and every time I see them I stop and go its my sister its my sister,” says Gianna.  “She’s one of the people I want to see this the most,” says Gabriella.

Now at last, Gabriella can show Gianna what is cooking at the diner. Both of them attribute their passion for TV and the stage to each other.  

“I was thinking this morning actually, remember we used to dress up as Daphne and Velma, but you’d always be Daphne and you wouldn’t let me be Daphne so I always had to be Velma,” says Gabriella. “And we would always go in the backyard and jump off the rock for like an hour-and-a-half. Like what could we possibly have been pretending to do?”

One thing is for certain these two sisters could not be prouder of their accomplishments, together.

“I’m so proud of G,” says Gabriella. “I know sometime things have been hard but she has been working nonstop since I can remember. It’s so cool to see her here practically running a place. I think that’s exactly what she’s meant to do. It makes me so proud.”

“I was telling Mary I always tear up a little bit when I hear you sing,” says Gianna. “Even if it isn’t meant to invoke emotion. I’m so proud of you.”

Their bond proving there is nothing quite like family.

“I love my sister and family is everything and I love her,” says Gabriella. “I love you,” Gianna.

Ticket information can be found here.