The Broadway musical Hairspray promises to be as exciting and entertaining as previous Young Performers projects held over the last 10 years. Remember Oliver, Fiddler On The Roof, Annie, The Wiz, Curtain Up, One Voice, School of Rock-SA and Big River?
Hairspray features music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman storyline of the book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, and is based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and “downtown” rhythm and blues.
In 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, plump teenager Tracy Turnblad’s dream is to dance on The Corny Collins Show, a local TV dance programme based on the real-life Buddy Deane Show. When Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight. She then launches a campaign to integrate the show incorporating the demographics of the country. Hairspray is a social commentary on the injustices of parts of American society in the 1960s.
The musical’s original Broadway production opened in August 2002 and won eight Tony Awards out of 13 nominations. It ran for more than 2 500 performances and closed on January 2009. Hairspray has also had US national tours, a London West End production and numerous foreign productions and was adapted for a 2007 musical film. The London production was nominated for a record-setting 11 Laurence Olivier Awards, winning for Best New Musical and in three other categories.
Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, UKZN July 2-18. Bookings at Computicket.