WAITRESS, the most "joyous, hilarious, heartwarming, life-affirming show you could possibly see" - according to Evelyn Hoskins, one of its female table-waiting stars - opened in Belfast last night, with its 'girl power' message still a story for our times.
Themes of self-belief and sisterhood beat against a backdrop of domestic abuse, but finely balanced theatrical scales tip in favour of comedy, says the English actress who plays "kooky" waitress Dawn in the award-winning show.
Currently on national tour, Waitress - starring Chelsea Halfpenny as Jenna, waitress and expert pie-maker, and Sandra Marvin as her friend Becky - is running at the Grand Opera House and Hoskins, who is resurrecting her role from the pre-pandemic West End production, can't wait to venture beyond the auditorium.
"I have two very close friends who are from Belfast, so I'm hoping for some time to explore and see a little more of the city," she gushes.
"I once spent 24 hours in Belfast when I travelled to see a friend perform in a show, so it was literally a flying visit. Now, I want to spend time seeing the sights."
Best known for her TV role as Shona Wark in BBC's Casualty, Hoskins has been embracing her alter-ego with renewed enthusiasm after the pandemic shut theatres and sent her back home to Somerset to wait out the lockdowns.
"Before the pandemic, I was in Waitress in the Adelphi theatre in the West End - I got to perform with the writer, Sara Bareilles, who was playing Jenna at the time and that was amazing," she says. "Then, when the theatres closed, I went home to Somerset.
"It was a devastating time, but it made me realise how much I really love the theatre. Touring isn't something I would necessarily have done before Covid, because it is such hard work, but I became quite emotional when putting my little waitressing uniform back on again. I am just so glad to be here."
From a working class background, she didn't have the funds to attend drama school in London, enrolling instead for a BTEC qualification in performing arts and then studying acting at the University of Bournemouth. She never graduated, though, leaving in her second year to make her stage debut at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre.
"A friend at drama school told me they were casting for a show called Spring Awakening about a bunch of teenagers and wanted completely fresh, new people," she explains.
"I ended up getting one of the parts and getting an agent through that and I've been working ever since. I didn't have that traditional route in, but I think there is always more than one route if you are passionate enough."
In her role as Dawn, Jenna's "kooky, nerdy friend" at the diner, she has "quite a traditional story arc" in that her character "meets someone, falls in love and gets married".
"It's nice," she muses, "because the main storyline around Jenna isn't traditional in that sense - she lives a more complicated life, but she has dreams, friends and positivity and that's what I love about the show.
"It feels like a rom-com, but it deals with so much more, like domestic abuse and how the non-romantic relationships in your life can be the ones you really cherish - and rely on."
Off-stage, the actress, whose TV credits also include E4 comedy drama Misfits and ITV mini-series A Confession, is shelving romance and sticking with the sisterhood - for now.
"I'm single," she says, laughing, "and I can barely function as a single person. Touring can be so intense, so a relationship would be difficult. Right now, 'girl power' is all I need."
:: Waitress, starring Chelsea Halfpenny, Evelyn Hoskins, Sandra Marvin and Matt Willis, runs at the Grand Opera House until Saturday March 5. www.goh.co.uk
