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Hairspray (musical)
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Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, 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 program based on the real-life Buddy Deane Show. When Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight.
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Encyclopedia
Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, 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 program 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 racially integrate the show. Hairspray is a social commentary on the injustices of parts of American society in the 1960s.
The musical's original Broadway production opened on August 15, 2002 and won eight Tony Awards out of thirteen nominations. It played for over 2,500 performances. Hairspray has also enjoyed U.S. national tours and numerous foreign productions and was adapted for a 2007 musical film. The London West End production was nominated for a record-setting eleven Laurence Olivier Awards, winning for Best New Musical and in three other categories.
The Broadway production closed on January 4, 2009.
Background
According to interviews included as an extra feature on the 2007 film's DVD release, theatre producer Margo Lion first conceived of Hairspray as a stage musical in 1998 after seeing a television broadcast of the original film. She contacted John Waters, who gave her his blessing, then acquired the rights from New Line Cinema. Lion contacted Marc Shaiman, who expressed interest in the project only if his partner Scott Wittman could be included, and Lion agreed. The two submitted three songs – one of which, "Good Morning Baltimore," eventually became the show's opening number. Based on their initial work, Lion was confident that she had hired the right team.
Lion contacted Rob Marshall about directing the musical. At the time he was involved in negotiations to direct the screen adaptation of Chicago, but he agreed to become involved in the early development stages of Hairspray with the stipulation he would drop out if assigned the film. Marshall remembered Marissa Jaret Winokur from her brief appearance in the film American Beauty and arranged a meeting with Shaiman and Wittman. The two immediately felt she was right for the role of Tracy Turnblad but were hesitant to commit without seeing any other auditions. They hired Winokur to work with them on the project with the understanding she might be replaced later. One year later, Winokur was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Certain she would lose the role if the creative team learned about her condition, she underwent chemotherapy and a hysterectomy without telling anyone but her immediate family. The treatment and surgery were successful, and Winokur returned to the project. Meanwhile, Marshall had started work on Chicago, and Jack O'Brien and Jerry Mitchell were hired by Lion to direct and choreograph, respectively. Winokur was told she would need to audition along with hundreds of other women, but when the two men met her, they agreed she was right for the role.
Tracy's mother had been portrayed by Divine in the original film, and Shaiman liked the idea of maintaining the tradition of casting a male as Edna Turnblad. He suggested Harvey Fierstein based primarily on Fierstein's distinctive sounding voice, and O'Brien agreed.
According to Shaiman, one song, "I Know Where I've Been", became controversial during the genesis of the score:
- "This was... inspired by a scene late in the [1988] movie that takes place on the black side of town. It never dawned on us that a torrent of protest would follow us from almost everyone involved with the show. 'It’s too sad.... It’s too preachy.... It doesn’t belong.... Tracy should sing the eleven o’clock number.' We simply didn’t want our show to be yet another show-biz version of a civil rights story where the black characters are just background. And what could be more Tracy Turnblad-like than to give the 'eleven o’clock number' to the black family at the heart of the struggle? Luckily... the audiences embraced this moment, which enriches the happy ending to follow, and it is our proudest achievement of the entire experience of writing Hairspray"
Productions
After a tryout at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre, the musical opened on Broadway on August 15, 2002 at the Neil Simon Theatre, where it ran until January 4, 2009. In addition to Winokur and Fierstein, the cast featured Laura Bell Bundy, Kerry Butler, Linda Hart, and Dick Latessa. The sets were designed by David Rockwell, costumes by William Ivey Long, lighting by Kenneth Posner, and the many distinctive wigs in the show by Paul Huntley. Original star Fierstein returned to the cast on November 11, 2008 and Winokur returned on December 9 for the final performances.
The First U.S. national tour started in September 2003 in Baltimore and ended in June 2006. The touring production starred Carly Jibson as Tracy and Bruce Vilanch as Edna. When the tour stopped in Los Angeles, Marissa Jaret Winokur reprised her role as Tracy, together with the original Broadway Link, Matthew Morrison. A second tour began January 6, 2009, two days after Hairspray closed on Broadway.
2005-2007 productions
The first international production ran for 245 performances in Toronto in 2005 at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Vanessa Olivarez, a former American Idol contestant, starred as Tracy, and Jay Brazeau starred as Edna.
A Las Vegas production ran at the Luxor Hotel in 2006 starring Katrina Rose Dideriksen as Tracy, Austin Miller as Link, and Fierstein and Latessa reprising their roles as Edna and Wilbur Turnblad, respectively. This ninety-minute version was played in one act. Cut songs included "The Big Dollhouse", "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs", "Velma's Revenge", "Good Morning Baltimore (Reprise)", and "Cooties".
In July 2006, a non-Equity U.S. tour opened in Atlantic City's Harrah's Casino. The shorter "casino version" was used for this stop of the tour, but when it moved on, it continued with the full version of the show minus the character of Lorraine. The tour was scheduled to continue at least through June 2008.
In 2007, Hairspray was adapted as a musical film starring Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad and John Travolta as Edna Turnblad.
The London West End production opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on October 11, 2007 for previews before its official opening on October 30. Michael Ball plays Edna, with Mel Smith as Wilbur Turnblad, newcomer Leanne Jones as Tracy, Tracie Bennett as Velma, Paul Manuel as Corny Collins, Rachael Wooding as Amber, Elinor Collett as Penny, and Ben James-Ellis as Link. The original creative team of the Broadway production, helmed by director Jack O'Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, reunited for the London production. This production garnered a record-setting eleven Olivier Award nominations and won for Best New Musical, as well as acting awards for Best Actress and Actor in a musical (Jones and Ball).
The South African production opened in Johannesburg in October 2007 with the original direction and choreography re-created by Matt Lenz and Greg Graham, but the sets and costumes were new designs by Michael Bottari and Ronald Case. Other productions have opened in Canada, Finland, Japan, South Korea, Italy, St. Gallen, Switzerland (in German), Brazil, Manila, Philippines.
2008 productions
A production in Buenos Aires, Argentina opened on July 16, 2008 starring Enrique Pinti as Edna Turnblad. The role of Tracy was cast through a reality-competition show called I Want To Be Hairspray's Protagonist. The musical also played in Shanghai, China at the Shanghai Grand Theatre in July 2008. Other productions are planned for Puerto Rico, Germany, France, Israel, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway. Hairspray has been translated into Finnish, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Italian, German and Portuguese.
In August 2008, the British television channel Sky1 began broadcasting Hairspray: The School Musical, following the development of a North London comprehensive school's production of Hairspray from audition to performance, with input from various actors and creatives, including members of the Broadway production team and the West End cast.
On November 12, 2008, as part of its 200th season, the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, opened a production of Hairspray, which closed on January 4, 2009 (the same closing day as the Broadway production).
On November 14, 2008, Atlantis Productions opened a production of Hairspray in the Philippines, starring Madel Ching as Tracy Turnblad and Michael de Mesa as Edna Turnblad. The production closed on December 7, 2008.
In September 2009, a Swedish-language production will open in Stockholm, Sweden at the China Theatre.
Synopsis
Setting: Baltimore, Maryland, June 1962
Act 1
As “pleasantly plump” teenager Tracy Turnblad lies in bed, she muses about her love for her hometown, her love of dancing, and her desire to be famous (“Good Morning Baltimore”). After school, Tracy rushes home with best friend Penny to catch “The Nicest Kids in Town” on the local teenage dance show, The Corny Collins Show. Edna, Tracy’s shy and plus-sized mother, is ironing and complains about the noise of the music coming from the television, while Penny’s mother complains about it being race music. After an announcement that auditions for a place on the show will be held, Tracy pleads with her mother for permission to audition. Her mother, fearing that she will be laughed at due to her weight, refuses. Penny and Amber have similar arguments with their mothers (“Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now”). After gaining permission and support from her father, Wilbur, Tracy auditions for the show and bumps into teenage heartthrob, Link Larkin, which leads into a dream sequence (“I Can Hear the Bells”). Velma Von Tussle rejects Tracy from the audition because of her size (“(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs”).
Back at school, Tracy is sent to detention again for her hair “obstructing everyone’s view of the blackboard.” There she meets black dancer, Seaweed, who teaches her several dance moves. She uses the new dance steps at the Sophomore Hop the next day to introduce herself to Corny Collins, later integrating the moves into The Madison during the scene transition. Corny sees how well Tracy can dance and he gives her a place on the show (“The Nicest Kids in Town (Reprise)”). Corny offers the chance for Link to sing “It Takes Two” to her and she quickly accepts, much to Amber’s dismay. After the show, Mr. Spritzer, the show’s worrisome sponsor, appeals to Velma who threatens to fire Corny over Tracy’s appointment to the Council, eventually leaving a distraught Velma determined to ruin Tracy (“Velma’s Revenge”). At the Turnblad house, Edna is receiving calls from fans who saw Tracy on the show. A call comes in from Mr. Pinky of the plus size dress shop, Mr. Pinky’s Hefty Hideaway — Quality Clothes for Quantity Gals, for an endorsement. Tracy pleads with her mother to come with her and act as her agent although Edna has not left their apartment in years. Finally making it outside, Edna is given a huge makeover, as she is told, “Welcome to the ’60s”. Tracy becomes the spokes-girl for the shop.
Signs of Tracy’s fame are evident in the schoolyard, with graffiti on the walls and another Council Member sporting Tracy’s signature hairdo. Link comforts Tracy after a game of dodge ball in which Amber viciously throws the ball at Tracy’s head, knocking Tracy unconscious. Penny and Seaweed, who have developed a liking for one another, return after having found the nurse out sick. Seaweed, suggesting that some fun would make Tracy feel better, invites all of them to Motormouth Maybelle’s Record Shop for a platter party (“Run and Tell That!”) At the shop, Tracy rallies everyone to march against the station, as African Americans are not allowed on the show except for the once-a-month Negro Day. Before they start, Motormouth Maybelle convinces the initially reluctant Edna and Wilbur to march as well. During the protest, led by Motormouth, Velma calls the cops and gets into a fight with Edna as Amber fights with Tracy. Link is knocked out, and almost everyone else is arrested (“Big, Blonde, and Beautiful”).
Act 2
Almost all of the women are now in “The Big Dollhouse”. Because of Velma’s dirty tactics, the governor pardons and releases her and Amber. Wilbur bails out the remaining people, excluding Tracy who is forced to remain in jail through another one of Velma’s manipulations. Tracy is alone and wishes that Link could be with her (“Good Morning Baltimore (Reprise)”). At the Har-De-Har Hut, Wilbur and Edna are down and out because of all of the money that it cost them to bail everyone out and with Tracy still in prison. Edna sympathizes with her daughter’s dream – she had dreamt of making her “own line of queen-sized dress patterns”. She and Wilbur reminisce about their past and how they can never be parted from each other (“(You’re) Timeless to Me”).
During the night, Link sneaks into the jail where he finds Tracy in solitary confinement. Penny’s mother punishes Penny for going to jail without her permission and ties her up in her bedroom where Seaweed comes to rescue her. Both couples declare their love for one another (“Without Love”). After escaping from their respective prisons, the couples seek refuge at Motormouth Maybelle’s Record Shop. Tracy thinks that it is unfair that after all of their hard work, The Corny Collins Show is still segregated. They devise a plan to help integrate the show, and Motormouth remembers their long fight for equality (“I Know Where I’ve Been”).
On the day of the Miss Teenage Hairspray competition, Corny Collins starts the show with a song (“(It’s) Hairspray”). Amber shows off her talents in a bid to get more votes from the viewers (“Cooties”). Just as the results are about to be announced, Tracy takes over the stage, and is joined by Link, Penny (now transformed from drool to cool), Seaweed, Edna, Wilbur, Little Inez, and Motormouth (“You Can’t Stop the Beat”). Little Inez is announced the winner of the competition and she declares that The Corny Collins Show is officially integrated. When all is announced, Mr. Spritzer runs on stage thrilled with the public’s response to the telecast and announces that the governor has pardoned Tracy and he offers Link a recording contract. Prudy arrives at the station and, seeing how happy Penny is with Seaweed, accepts her daughter for who she is. At the height of the moment, the company invites Amber and Velma to join the celebration. With the station in joyous celebration, Tracy and Link share their first kiss.
Principal roles
| Characters | Description |
|---|
| Tracy Turnblad | A cute, "pleasantly plump" teenager, who dreams of fame and fights to racially integrate The Corny Collins Show. | | Edna Turnblad | Tracy’s kind, plus-sized mother – a drag role. Edna runs a laundry business out of her home. | | Wilbur Turnblad | Tracy’s goofy father, who owns the Har-De-Har Hut joke shop and is still madly in love with his wife, Edna. He encourages Tracy to follow her dreams. | | Link Larkin | A teen heartthrob and one of The Corny Collins Show Council Members who falls in love with Tracy. | | Penny Pingleton | Tracy’s slightly dorky, devoted, and perky best friend. | | Seaweed J. Stubbs | A hip "Negro Day" dancer and the son of Motormouth Maybelle who falls in love with Penny. | | Motormouth Maybelle | The owner of a downtown record shop and the host of "Negro Day" on The Corny Collins Show, self-described as "big, blonde, and beautiful". | | Corny Collins | The eccentric and cocky host of The Corny Collins Show. | | Velma Von Tussle | Amber’s scheming mother and producer of The Corny Collins Show, who pushes her daughter to seek the stardom that she never had. | | Amber Von Tussle | Velma’s bratty and selfish daughter and the resident princess of The Corny Collins Show, despite a lack of talent. She is willing to do anything to win the Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant. | | Little Inez | Seaweed’s sister, who tries to audition for The Corny Collins Show but Velma turns her away because she is black. | | Prudy Pingleton | Penny's overprotective and often close-minded mother. |
Musical numbers
Act I
- "Good Morning Baltimore" – Tracy and Company
- "The Nicest Kids in Town" – Corny and Council Members
- "Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now" – Edna, Tracy, Prudy, Penny, Velma, Amber, and Company
- "I Can Hear the Bells" – Tracy and Company
- "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs" – Velma and Council Members with Tracy, Penny, and Little Inez
- "The Madison"† – Corny and Company
- "The Nicest Kids in Town (Reprise)"† – Corny and Council Members
- "It Takes Two" – Link, Tracy, and Men
- "Velma’s Revenge"† – Velma
- "Welcome to the ’60s" – Tracy, Edna, The Dynamites, and Company
- "Run and Tell That" – Seaweed, Little Inez, and Detention Kids
- "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful" – Motormouth, Little Inez, Tracy, Edna, Wilbur, and Company
Act II
- "The Big Dollhouse" – Matron, Edna, Velma, Tracy, Amber, Penny, Motormouth, Little Inez, Female Ensemble
- "Good Morning Baltimore (Reprise)" – Tracy
- "(You’re) Timeless to Me" – Edna and Wilbur
- "Without Love" – Tracy, Link, Penny, Seaweed, and Company
- "I Know Where I’ve Been" – Motormouth and Company
- "(It’s) Hairspray" – Corny and Council Members
- "Cooties" – Amber and Council Members
- "You Can’t Stop the Beat" – Tracy, Link, Penny, Seaweed, Edna, Wilbur, Motormouth, Amber, Velma, and Company
†Not on the cast recording.
Additional songs
Several songs were cut from Hairspray before and during its pre-Broadway run in Seattle. One of such songs, an infomercial about safety on the road titled "Blood on the Pavement", followed "The Nicest Kids in Town". The song was later cut, but it is included on the cast album. Originally, where "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs" is in the show today, there was no song. In later revisions, numerous songs filled the slot including "The Status Quo", and "Velma’s Cha-Cha" (and its short reprise), sung during Tracy’s audition and dismissal, which were cut and replaced by "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs", as the audience did not like seeing Tracy being verbally attacked after "I Can Hear the Bells". After the auditions, there was a scene in the Har-De-Har Hut in which Wilbur had a song called "It Doesn’t Get Better than This". The song was later replaced by "Positivity"; the song and scene were later cut altogether from the final product as it was felt that it simply was emotionally redundant and unnecessary. In the scene, Wilbur tried to cheer up Tracy after her rejection from The Corny Collins Show auditions. After Tracy eventually made it on the show, there was a song called "The New Girl in Town", which was sung first by the African-American girls and then by the Council girls. Although cut from the musical, it was included in the 2007 movie and is used in the instrumental score during the show. "The Mother-Daughter Cha-Cha-Cha" was another cut number that originally followed "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful". Later, the protest rally in the scene was incorporated into "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful", thus deleting the number and the scene. A song called "Step on Up" was also cut in favor of "I Know Where I’ve Been". Early on in the genesis of the show, the plot involved a "Miss Auto Show" competition, as it is in the 1988 film, instead of "Miss Teenage Hairspray". For this competition, there was a song called "Take a Spin" sung by Corny in the place where "(It’s) Hairspray" is now. After Amber’s rendition of "Cooties", it was thought that Tracy should have her own song before the finale number "You Can’t Stop the Beat", called "It Ain’t Over ’Til the Fat Lady Sings". After the third reading of the show, however, it was decided that "You Can’t Stop the Beat" was sufficient. The number was later restored as a track on the Special Edition of the motion picture's soundtrack.
Roles and cast
The original Broadway cast:
Notable replacements on Broadway
- Tracy: Kathy Brier, Shannon Durig, Marissa Perry
- Corny: Lance Bass
- Amber: Becky Gulsvig, Haylie Duff, Ashley Spencer, Aubrey O'Day
- Link: Richard H. Blake, Andrew Rannells, Ashley Parker Angel
- Edna: Michael McKean, John Pinette, Paul Vogt, George Wendt
- Penny: Jennifer Gambatese, Diana DeGarmo, Caissie Levy, Alexa Vega
- Velma: Michele Pawk, Isabel Keating, Mary Birdsong, Karen Mason
- Wilbur: Jere Burns, Jerry Mathers, Jim J. Bullock
- Seaweed: Tevin Campbell
- Little Inez: Naturi Naughton
- Female Authority Figures: Susan Mosher
- Male Authority Figures: Jim J. Bullock, Kevin Meaney
- Motormouth Maybelle: Darlene Love, Jenifer Lewis, Charlotte Crossley
Response
Critics
According to Variety, Hairspray received thirteen favorable and four mixed reviews. Charles Isherwood, in his Variety review wrote: "...this sweet, infinitely spirited, bubblegum-flavored confection won't be lacking for buyers any time soon. Arriving in an aerosol fog of advance hype, it more than lives up to its promise." Ben Brantley wrote: "So what if it's more than a little pushy in its social preaching? Stocked with canny, deliriously tuneful songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and directed by Jack O'Brien with a common touch that stops short of vulgarity, 'Hairspray' is as sweet as a show can be without promoting tooth decay. ...[it] succeeds in recreating the pleasures of the old-fashioned musical comedy without seeming old-fashioned. ...Shaiman... is taking the infectious hooks and rhythms from period pop and R&B and translating them into the big, bouncy sound that Broadway demands.... And while the savvy arrangements... nod happily to Motown, Elvis, Lesley Gore ballads and standards like "Higher and Higher," the score's appeal isn't nostalgic. It's music that builds its own self-contained, improbably symmetrical world...." New York's Daily News wrote, "As Tracy, Marissa Jaret Winokur has the heft, the pipes and an enormously appealing stage presence. Her dancing may not be as special as the plot suggests, but she wins your heart... With this role, Fierstein places himself in the great line of Broadway divas."
Box office and business
Hairspray opened with a $12 million advance; after the Tony Awards show (in June 2003), it was expected to do five times the business it normally did on a Monday. The entire $10.5 million investment was recouped by May 2003 (approximately 9 months after its Broadway opening). For 2002-03 it averaged 99% capacity; for 2007 it averaged 86 %.
Awards and nominations
Tony Awards
Drama Desk Awards
- Outstanding New Musical
- Outstanding Book of a Musical
- Outstanding Actor in a Musical
- Outstanding Actress in a Musical
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Dick Latessa)
- Outstanding Director of a Musical
- Outstanding Lyrics
- Outstanding Music
- Outstanding Costume Design
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Corey Reynolds) (nominee)
- Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Kerry Butler) (nominee)
- Outstanding Choreography (nominee)
- Outstanding Orchestrations (nominee)
- Outstanding Set Design of a Musical (nominee)
Theatre World Awards
- Jackie Hoffman
- Marissa Jaret Winokur
Critics' Circle Theatre Awards (2007)
- Best Musical
- Most Promising Newcomer – Leanne Jones (The Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer)
Olivier Awards
- Best New Musical
- Best Actress in a Musical (Leanne Jones)
- Best Actor in a Musical (Michael Ball)
- Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Tracie Bennett) (winner), Elinor Collett (nominee)
- Best Director (Jack O'Brien) (nominee)
- Best Theatre Choreographer (Mitchell) (nominee)
- Best Lighting Design (Kenneth Posner) (nominee)
- Best Set Design (David Rockwell) (nominee)
- Best Costume Design (William Ivey Long) (nominee)
- Best Sound Design (Steve C. Kennedy) (nominee)
Evening Standard Awards (2007)
External links
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- at American Theatre Wing, December 2002
- from
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