Confirming the long standing rumors, the producers of Hairspray, the hit Tony Award-winning Best Musical, have officially announced that the show will close at the Neil Simon Theatre after the performance on Sunday, January 4, 2009, after having played 2,641 performances and 31 previews. Hairspray is the 19th longest running show in Broadway history and has currently grossed over $265 million during its Broadway run.
BroadwayWorld reported about the now widely known closing news on October 2nd, at that time we reached out to the show's Tony and Grammy Winning composer, Marc Shaiman to get his candid and emotional comments, which can be read here.
Hairspray, which had its world premiere at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre on June 12, 2002, is based upon the 1988 New Line film by John Waters, with a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Hairspray is directed by Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell.
The musical opened on Broadway August 15, 2002 to ecstatic reviews and later that season went on to win every major Best Musical award, including the Tony Award, New York Drama Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and the Outer Critics Circle Award. In all Hairspray won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book of a Musical, Best Direction, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical, and Best Costume Design.
The original cast featured the return to Broadway of Harvey Fierstein after an absence of over twelve years. Mr. Fierstein will reprise his Tony-winning performance as the dangerously devoted stage mother Edna Turnblad beginning Tuesday, November 11.
Hairspray also featured a star-making lead performance by Marissa Jaret Winokur as the cheery and unstoppable dancer-slash-integrationist Tracy Turnblad who won Tony, Drama Desk, and Theatre World awards for her performance. It also featured a gallery of extraordinary supporting performers, including Laura Bell Bundy, Kerry Butler (Clarence Derwent Award), Mary Bond Davis, Linda Hart, Jackie Hoffman (Theatre World Award), Matthew Morrison, Corey Reynolds, Clarke Thorell, and Broadway veteran Dick Latessa who won Tony and Drama Desk awards for his performance.
