Welcome to the 60’s! Hairspray is a feel good musical with a serious theme at its heart. Set in 1962 in Baltimore, it tells the story of Tracy Turnbland; a big girl with big hair and even bigger dreams, to dance on the prime time Corny Collins Show. After a fantastic run at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, Hairspray has now hit the road and visited the Mayflower in Southampton, where it stays until the 29th May.
When Tracy wins a spot on the local TV dance programme 'The Corny Collins Show', she is transformed overnight from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity. But can a trendsetter in dance and fashion vanquish the programme's reigning princess, win the heart of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a television show without denting her 'do? Only in Hairspray!
The atmosphere in the theatre was just electric, with laughs, singing and dancing you can’t help but dance down the aisles when you leave. The songs are sing-a-long treats, favourites include Welcome to the 60’s, Run and tell that and the brilliant You Can’t Stop the Beat. The humour is suitable for kids and adults alike, with all the jokes getting a laugh from at least one group.
At the heart of the musical is quite a serious theme of racial segregation in 60’s America. For example the television station only allows Negro day once a month, much to the dismay of Tracy. The so called race music is also seen as a bad influence on the teenagers, the film is set at a time when teenagers were coming into their own and causing trouble for their parents.
If you are a fan of the 1988 John Waters film than you will love the musical, as it is based on the film but with added songs. The core story is exactly the same for the two films and the stage musicals. If you are still unsure check out the 2007 film starring John Travolta, Zac Efron, Michelle Pfeiffer and Queen Latifah. It features most of the songs although The New Girl in Town does not feature in the on stage most of the others do. However, the stage version does have extra songs including Big Dollhouse and Mama I’m a Big Girl Now.
The cast included Michael Ball as Tracy’s mother Edna and Les Dennis as her husband Wilbur. The pair is a fantastic match and have tremendous chemistry. However, this did mean that they couldn’t hold it together for their duet Timeless to Me, which ended in a fit of giggles from the pair. Ball commented that he couldn’t continue with Dennis jiggling behind, to which Dennis replied ‘you never complained before’, the crowd loved it and the laughter raised the roof. Michael Ball is fantastic as Edna, a role he played on the West End and won countless awards for.
A special mention has to go to Sandra Marvin who plays Motormouth Maybelle, her glass breaking voice was simply breathtaking during I Know Where I’ve Been, so much so the cast even looked at her with admiration in their eyes. The young cast comprised of Amber (Clare Halse), Tracy (Laurie Scarth), Seaweed (Wayne Robinson), Inez (Seliza Sebastian), Link (Liam Doyle) and Penny (Emma Dukes), all of which are amazing performers who are bound to go on to even greater things. Liam Doyle who plays Link won a GMTV competition to play Troy in High School Musical; I think a few fans were in the crowd as he was met with a host of screams.
I love Hairspray it is one of my favourite musicals, it is a feel good and happy musical. I saw the tour in London with the original West End cast and thought that the tour cast was just as good as the originals. Hairspray is the type of musical I can watch again, and again. I defy you to leave the theatre without a massive smile on your face. Just remember ‘you can’t stop the beat’.
For more information on the tour visit the website at: http://www.hairspraythetour.com/
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