The central character in “Waitress,” the deft musical adaptation of the 2007 film now at the Hippodrome Theatre, speaks for many women when she says that she just won’t settle anymore for being “happy enough.” She wants actual “happy” for a change.

For Jenna, the unusually imaginative pie baker stuck serving in a diner and swerving in a volatile marriage, this aspiration carries extra weight. She has had to stifle her own voice for too long, has had to endure a boorish, brutish husband for too long — his time just has to be up.

When a pie contest with a decent cash prize comes along, Jenna imagines it could provide the escape route she needs. And then she experiences some totally unexpected morning sickness, which makes Jenna’s already iffy world a whole lot more complicated — especially after she meets her new, young, charming (and married) obstetrician-gynecologist.

The movie mingled humor with seriousness, sentiment with cynicism. It’s an engaging musical, too, thanks to a book by Jessie Nelson that retains the flavor of the original. (Adrienne Shelly, who wrote, directed and performed in the movie, was hideously murdered shortly before its release. The musical is dedicated to her memory.)

The score by Sara Bareilles is not necessarily memorable, but her lyrics can be quite fresh (rhymes are often appealingly unpredictable). Best of all, the music weaves through the dialogue neatly and naturally. The result is the kind of cohesiveness you admire in, say, a great pie.

Scott Pask’s set design conjures up the diner and other locations with abundant atmosphere. And the cast, directed with an incisive touch by Diane Paulus, proves uniformly winning. Desi Oakley shines as Jenna, creating a three-dimensional portrayal that holds up even in the most comic scenes. Her sturdy singing voice and fine sense of phrasing serve her especially well in the poignant Act 2 song “She Used to Be Mine,” when Jenna is at her lowest emotional point.

Oakley’s chemistry with the limber and disarming Bryan Fenkart, who plays the tempting doctor Dr. Pomatter, makes the adulterous portion of the plot click vibrantly into place. Fenkart manages to let you sense the man behind the antics, but I wish the show revealed more of the character, enough to explain his ability to transform Jenna.

Earl, Jenna’s clod of a spouse, isn’t fully sketched in, either, but Nelson did write in a bit of a back story (more than the the movie revealed) to give the couple greater context. Nick Bailey makes the most of the thankless assignment in a spot-on performance.

Jenna’s fellow servers at the diner are vivaciously played by Charity Angel Dawson, as wise-cracking Becky, and Lenne Klingaman, as ditsy Dawn. Jeremy Morse is Ogie, the nerd in need of a nerdette who falls instantly for Dawn, and just about stops the show with his brilliant, rambunctious account of “Never Ever Getting Rid of Me.” Droll contributions come from Ryan G. Dunkin as the diner’s burly cook/manager and Maiesha McQueen as Dr. Pomatter’s sassy nurse. Larry Marshall, whose richly nuanced speaking voice makes the show extra songful, plays the establishment’s wise old owner with flair.

“Waitress” has its manipulative elements and stereotypes, but transcending that is the sincerity and honesty behind this story of a woman’s effort to be heard, to be taken seriously, to bloom.

tim.smith@baltsun.com

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