Before taking their first bows together in Waitress, Sara Bareilles (the musical’s composer) and Tony winner Gavin Creel met the press to discuss their journey from fans to friends to co-stars.

“We really love each other,” Bareilles said (standing next to Creel). “We really delight in each other’s beings, and I just feel like that’s going to live onstage in some ways that we don’t even know.”

Creel, who dons Dr. Pomatter’s stethoscope after winning a Tony for Hello, Dolly!, steps into the musical with a very limited rehearsal period (while Bareilles herself has already played Jenna twice) and credits the singer-songwriter’s “Jenna-rosity” (get it?) as a key factor in what makes the experience a pleasant one. “She’s just being generous with her time for people who want to see the show and see her in it—and to call me and say, ‘Hey, you wanna do this?’ It’s a dream.”

And if he’s nervous about dropping a line, Bareilles won’t hold it against him. “You can’t find someone who’s less precious about it,” she admits. “I’ve sung the wrong words more times than I can count.”

Bareilles and Creel join the production at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre January 7.