The London production of Hairspray will close on March 28 at the Shaftesbury Theatre after more than 1,000 performances before embarking on a national tour. The musical opened on October 30, 2007, and went on to win the Olivier Award and Evening Standard Award for Best Musical. According to a news release, Hairspray grossed more than £50 million during its London run and became the longest playing show at the Shaftesbury Theatre in more than 40 years.
The first national tour of Hairspray will open at the Wales Millennium Centre on March 30 before dates in Glasgow, Southampton, Wolverhampton, Leeds, Manchester, Plymouth, Liverpool, Sunderland, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Birmingham, Bradford and Edinburgh.
For the final eight weeks of its London run, Hairspray will star Brian Conley as Edna Turnblad, Micky Dolenz as Wilbur Turnblad and Chloe Hart as Tracy Turnblad.