Natalie Bassingthwaighte Faces Lead Role Controversy

Theatre fans have called out Natalie Bassingthwaighte for potentially stealing a role from up-and-coming Aussie actresses.

Natalie, 50, has been cast in the lead role in an Australian production of the popular Broadway musical Waitress.

The Rogue Traders singer will star alongside the likes of Rob Mills and John Waters as Jenna – a gifted baker trapped in a cycle of domestic abuse, and is often described in casting notes as being in her 20s or 30s. 

News of the former Neighbours star's casting has received a lukewarm reception from theatregoers with some claiming the role should have gone to a younger actress.

Tik Toker Matinee Musings shared a clip in which he questioned Natalie's casting in the popular musical.

'So there's been a bit of commentary about ageism and my thought that a younger, lesser known person should've been cast as Jenna in Waitress instead of Nat Bass,' the social media user said.

While he admitted that it can be difficult for older actresses to secure such prominent roles, the theatre fan added that casting someone much older than intended can change the nature of the role.

Using the example of Les Misérables, he continued: 'Specifically within the context of professional productions, it is my personal opinion that 50 year old probably should not be playing, for example, Marius or Cosette because it changes the relationship that they have with Jean Valjean.'

Relating his claim back to Waitress, the Tik Toker added that having a 50-year-old play someone intended to be much younger was not ideal.   

'In the story, Jenna is at this point in her life where she has had some life experience but she is not fully settled and set in her ways,' he said.

'This all plays into her realising that her life has become something that she didn't expect it to be, but also that she has time to change it

'In a sense it's like a coming of age story, Now could it be a mid-to later in life coming of age story? Sure, but I think that does change the message and the feel of the story.

He did, however, concede that the casting 'could work' but maintained that the role should have gone to a younger actress. 

'None of us have seen it. It could work,' he said. 'This is not who I would have cast for the story that I thought they were going to tell,' he said.

Despite the criticism, it's not the first time an actress has been cast outside of the 20s to 30s age range. Singer Jennifer Nettles was just three years younger than Natalie when she first stepped into the role in 2021, aged 47