Broadway’s “Waitress” offered a special tribute to one of the members of the original cast when it reopened this week after an 18-month closure.
Actor Nick Cordero, who originated the role of Earl in “Waitress,” died in July 2020 after a months-long battle with COVID-19.
At the presentation of the reopening of “Waitress” on Thursday night, Sara Bareilles welcomed Cordero’s wife, Amanda Kloots, to the stage for an impromptu song from “Live Your Life,” the single from Cordero’s 2018 pop rock and the main theme of his solo debut album. , released what would have been its 41st anniversary last year.
Cordero had only recently begun performing the song live before testing positive for coronavirus.
Watch the cast of “Waitress” perform “Live Your Life” below.
“He’s still a good spirit and a beautiful soul, and we have him very close and loved by our hearts,” said Bareilles, who wrote the music for “Waitress” and starred in Cordero’s current production.
Moments later, the Grammy winner praised Kloots for “walking this terrible time with so much grace, so much wisdom and so much vulnerability.”
Bruce Glikas through Getty Images Sara Bareilles (left) and Amanda Kloots in the Sept. 2 performance of Broadway’s “Waitress.”
Before reopening, “Waitress” last week unveiled a menu board on stage with a “Live Your Life” cake in honor of Cordero.
“This week we honored the memory of our beloved cast member Nick Cordero,” the “Waitress” team wrote in a headline that accompanied the photo. “This special cake name and this moment of the show will be a permanent part of every ‘Waitress’ productions in the world.”
Kloots shared her 2017 wedding on Friday with Cordero to commemorate what would have been the couple’s fourth wedding anniversary.
“I will never forget our first look, our first husband and wife kiss and our first dance,” she wrote. “Now you will always be my husband, my angel, but always the love of my life. Here it is. ”
The 41 Broadway theaters abruptly closed in March 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19. The ongoing closure has resulted in an estimated loss of $ 35 million per week.
In July, the Broadway League announced that the 41 theaters on the Great White Way will require full vaccination of all members of the public, performers, backstage crew and staff, or that they present a negative COVID-19 test. Currently, the policies will remain in effect until at least October 31st.
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