Lance Bass Joins Broadway Cast of Hairspray Tonight

Lance Bass, a member of the boy band phenomenon 'N Sync, will join Hairspray's cast Tuesday, August 14 through Sunday, January 6, in the role of Corny Collins, at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre.  He makes his Broadway debut.

In addition to appearing in the upcoming summer film I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Mr. Bass will be releasing his autobiography, Out Of Sync, in October. 

The producers also announced that Ashley Spencer, the runner-up in the reality television show "Grease: You're the One that I Want," plays Amber Von Tussle Tuesday, July 24 through Sunday, October 21. 

The screen adaptation of Hairspray, starring John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Zac Efron, Brittany Snow, Amanda Bynes, James Marsden, Elijah Kelley, Alison Janney, and Nikki Blonsky, and directed by Adam Shankman, opens nationwide July 20. 

"In Hairspray it's 1962—the '50s are out and change is in the air. Baltimore's Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion—to dance.  She wins a spot on the local TV dance program, "The Corny Collins Show" and, overnight, is transformed from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity.  But can a plus-size trendsetter in dance and fashion vanquish the program's reigning princess, win the heart of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a television show without denting her 'do?  Only in Hairspray!  Welcome to the '60s!," state press notes. 

Hairspray, which celebrates its fifth anniversary on Broadway in August 2007, is the winner of eight 2003 Tony Awards, including best musical, best actor, best actress, best featured actor, best score, best book, best director, and best costume design.  Hairspray also swept every one of the year's best musical awards, winning, in addition to the Tony, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, and the Drama League Award. 

For ticket information, phone Ticketmaster at 212-307-4100, or for group sales, phone 212-302-7000 or 800-677-1164.  Hairspray offers the ShowTrans system for foreign-speaking audience members in the following languages: French, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.  Same-day, lottery tickets are sold at the box office for seats in the first row of the orchestra.  For more information about Hairspray, please consult the Hairspray website at www.hairsprayonbroadway.com.