Hairspray: Murray Cultural Arts

 

Hairspray is a show placed in 1962, Baltimore. Dance-loving teen Tracy Turnblad auditions for a spot on "The Corny Collins Show" and wins. She becomes an overnight celebrity, a trendsetter in dance, fun and fashion. Tracy tries to topple Corny's reigning dance queen and bring racial integration to the show. The music is by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, and book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan.  This production was directed by Tammy Ross. 

Direction:

The show was directed by Tammy Ross. Ross took care while casting this show, making sure the right people were in the right roles. She worked with her team to make sure that all members kept true to the story and the time period of when Hairspray takes place. Multiple times Ross had a clever use of the set. She had the actors sing through scene changes and had actors take pieces with them when they left the stage, which lessened transitions. Ross made sure that she used the whole stage to showcase the story and show off the talent of the cast.

The show was music directed by Jason Campbell. Campbell made sure that they dynamics of every song showcased the soloists and the ensemble could still be heard and understood. The vocals during "The Nicest Kids in Town" were clean and nice to listen to. "Welcome to the '60's" vocals were strong and blended well together. The vocals in "Timeless to Me" were a delight and fun to listen to. "You Can't Stop the Beat" vocals was a strong way to end the show.

The show was choreographed by Anna Kaitlyn Burningham. I have always been impressed with Burningham ever since I saw her choreograph "Evita" at the Empress. She is able to create eye catching choreography that is simple, effective, and fits the time period. "The Nicest Kids in Town" choreography was simple, clean, and engaging to watch. "I Can Hear the Bells" choreography (choreographed by Alexander Heath) was a clever use of the space. "Timeless to Me" choreography was my favorite number of the night. It was hilarious, engaging, and adorable. "You Can't Stop the Beat" choreography was fun, upbeat, and exciting to watch.

Performances: 

Tracy Turnblad was played by Hannah Fellows. Fellow played Tracy as someone who always knew what she wanted and stayed true to who she was as a person. Link Larsen was played by Porter Beesley. Beesley played the perfect dream boy for Tracy to fawn over. The two of them together had a delightful chemistry that made it clear to the audience that they both liked each other.

Edna Turnblad was played by Jerrod Dew. Dew brought out all the humor that you would expect from a man playing a woman. He played Edna as someone at first who was caring and unsure of themselves. By the end of the show he played her as confident and strong. I loved the random moments when Dew would drop into his low voice in both his lines and singing.

Penny Lou Pingleton was played by Gretel Carey. Carey played Penny with a nerdiness and sass that was delightful. She added humor to some scenes, which elevated the show.

Seaweed J. Stubbs was played by Noah Burket. Burket portrayed a character that was fun and engaging. His dancing was clear, big, and a delight to watch.

Corny Collins was played by John Haraden.  Haraden created a funny and dynamic character that was ever changing. When his character was "on tv" he always had the biggest smile. When his character was "off tv" his face would drop and you could see how much his character didn't want to deal with the set drama that was occurring. He was hilarious.

Velma Von Tussle was played by Julie Blatter. From the moment she stepped on stage, I knew her character was one to not mess with. Blatter sang well and brought clear movements in the choreography. 

Mr. Pinky was played by Tony Faauli. Faauli is proof that no matter how small a role you may have, you can always shine on stage. Every time he would dance I was drawn to watching him. When he was Mr. Pinky his character was big, defined, crisp, and funny. During the detention scene he got the biggest laugh of the night.

Design:

(None of the design team was credited in the program. I will update this part when I know who to give credit to.)

The set was a stunning, eye catching thing to walk into. It was colorful and made me immediately think of the show. The stage was purposefully designed with each part of the stage adding an important part of the plot. The Turnblad home was simple, but effect, and immediately showed what time period we were in. The center wall showed the perfect amount of color and made me immediately thing of the Corny Collins Show. The Motormouth Records had a delightful use of colors that contrasted the rest of the set, in a good way. The two giant cans of hairspray were perfect and added to the storyline of the show.

The costumes were colorful and fit the time period. The Turnblad's wore a couple of different great outfits, which were perfect for who they were as a character. The Pingleton's wore stuffy outfits, which helped advertise what their family background was. Corny Collin's costume was showy, and perfect for who he was. 

Hiccups:

During "I Can Hear the Bells" a flower fell off of Tracy's bouquet. It stayed on stage for two whole scenes where actors kept stepping on it. During "The Madison" Amber picked it up, while dancing and in character.

Final Impressions:

I've seen the film adaptation multiple times. This show is a wonderful production for all ages to see. The music is catchy and the message of equality is meaningful and strong. The live orchestra was a major plus for this show. You will NOT be disappointed if you go see this production.

Tickets