SHOULD I SEE IT?
What's the Story of Hairspray?
A glittering stage adaption of the 1988 John Waters film starring Ricki Lake, Hairspray follows perky, plus-sized optimist Tracy Turnblad as she chases her dream to become a dancer on Baltimore, Maryland’s hit TV music and dance extravaganza The Corny Collins Show. After initially being rejected by the show’s conniving producer Velma Von Tussle and her star daughter Amber, Tracy finds herself the dancing champion of the Baltimore civil rights movement, working to desegregate the show and open the closed minds around her. The show follows a cast of campy, 60’s-inspired characters, including Tracy’s Corny Collins heartthrob Link Larkin, ditzy best friend Penny, African American radio host Motormouth Maybelle and her hip-shakin’ son Seaweed, and Tracy’s lovable, larger than life mother, Edna Turnblad. As Baltimore turns upside down under Tracy’s big-hearted influence, even the most stalwart conservatives learn to loosen up, and everyone discovers that a little love, and a little more dancing, goes a long way.
What is Hairspray Like?
The high-energy, relentlessly colorful production features memorable toe-tapping tunes, a never-ending barrage of laughs and some of the best dancing on Broadway. It’s also a sweet family story about love and never giving up. Like real beauty, Hairspray is more than skin deep.
Is Hairspray Good for Kids?
There’s more than a few John Waters-esque innuendos throughout the production, but the show’s heart is in the right place. While there are jokes about teenaged sex drives, sexy sixties dance moves and a love duet sung by two men (one in drag as a woman), Hairspray seeks to inspire and entertain, not scandalize, and is certainly tamer than what most kids can catch on TV.