Sara Bareilles is heartbroken that the cast of Waitress the Musical was unable to say goodbye to the show before it closed early due to a Covid-19 outbreak.
The musical was originally scheduled to close on Broadway on 9 January, but on Thursday, show officials announced it was closing "effective immediately" due to positive Covid-19 cases in the company and crew.
The Love Song hitmaker, who wrote the music and lyrics to the production, took to Instagram on Thursday to express her sadness that the cast didn't know their performance on Tuesday was their last.
"Our company will not get to take the stage for one last time knowing they are saying goodbye. That is tough. Other shows are going through this as well, and my heart breaks for this because it's a ritual that helps us ease the pain of losing something we love," she began her post.
"I'm so sorry we are saying goodbye in this way but I am SO proud. Of this company. This crew. This band. This creative team. This community of audience members. I am so grateful. I am honored to call these wonderful artists my friends, and I'm changed by those who have loved the show for the messy, kind, imperfectly perfect place it was. Everything changes, so here we go. Take your bows, my loves. Every last one of you. I am cheering and crying in equal measure. The best kind of goodbye."
Bareilles also had stints in which she starred in the lead role of Jenna and most recently played the character in October.
Following its debut on Broadway in 2016, Waitress was nominated for four Tony awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. It was also nominated at the 2017 Grammys for Best Musical Theater Album.
The West End production of Waitress closed amid the pandemic last year.
