Review Roundup: Run & Tell That - Critics Weigh In On NBC's HAIRSPRAY LIVE!

NBC's HAIRSPRAY LIVE aired last night, Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT and originated from Los Angeles. The all-star cast featured newcomer Maddie Baillio as Tracy Turnblad, Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad, Jennifer Hudson as Motormouth Maybelle, Martin Short as Wilbur Turnblad, Derek Hough as Corny Collins, Ariana Grande as Penny Pingleton, Andrea Martin as Prudy Singleton and Kristin Chenoweth as Velma Von Tussle. Rosie O'Donnell and Sean Hayes also made special appearances in the broadcast.

Let's see what the critics had to say:

Matt Tamanini, BroadwayWorld: Fierstein's performance felt incredibly authentic and lived-in. While musical theatre demands a certain level of artifice from actors, Harvey appeared to be right at home in Edna's moo moo. His presence gave the entire production an air of comfort and familiarity that allowed the audience to settle in, and appreciate the wonderful evening of one-of-a-kind television. Harvey also wrote the wonderfully witty teleplay as well. As Edna's loving husband Wilbur, Tony-winner Martin Short was absolutely charming and adorable.

Meredith Blake, LA Times: Wednesday night's "Hairspray Live!" was a boisterous, technically dazzling, socially relevant and frequently very funny staging of the musical based on John Waters' celebrated 1988 film...Both cheeky and full of heart, "Hairspray Live!" was cast with near-perfection from a mix of Broadway treasures (Kristin Chenoweth, Harvey Fierstein), comedy greats (Martin Short, Andrea Martin), telegenic, multitalented young'uns (Ephraim Sykes, Dove Cameron) and bona fide pop stars (Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande).

Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post: For lovers of this special little show about a heavyset teen girl in Baltimore whose dream is to dance on local daytime TV, watching Fierstein so capably return to the role of Tracy Turnblad's mom, Edna, which he originated on Broadway 14 years ago, was an early Christmas present.

Robert Bianco, USA Today: Brimming with great songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, opened up and spread out by directors Alex Rudzinski and Kenny Leon, this latest live NBC musical from Craig Zadan and Neil Meron was their best, most entertaining work yet. But Zadan and Meron's latest effort was more than just exuberant fun. With a message about accepting ourselves and each other while celebrating and embracing our diversity, this Hairspray felt more relevant - and maybe even important - than ever.

Mark Kennedy, Associated Press: There may have been enough aerosol spray to burn off the rest of our ozone layer, but Wednesday's ambitious live version of the musical "Hairspray" on NBC was worth the environmental damage. It was light and fun and soon had you stuck.

Jeremy Gerard, Deadline: After a slow and stilted opening that featured mechanical rats and an rain-coated flasher with an Ipana toothpaste smile, this feel-good musical eventually built up momentum and good spirits, once an exceptionally game cast led by 20-year-old newcomer Maddie Baillio as Tracy Turnblad settled into the infectious good will of the Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman score

Caroline Siede, A.V. Club: Thankfully, the adult cast more than pulled their varying weights throughout the night. Kristin Chenoweth (as Amber's racist mother Velma) and especially Jennifer Hudson (as soulful record shop owner Motormouth Maybelle) were the biggest scene-stealers. But original Broadway cast member Harvey Fierstein (as Tracy's shy mother Edna), Martin Short (as Tracy's goofy father), and Andrea Martin (in a smaller role as Penny's domineering mother) were all wonderful as well. Though less flashy than the big ensemble numbers, Firestein and Short's sweet "Timeless To Me" duet was another highlight of the evening.

Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times: All in all, it wasn't an unpleasant revisiting of a great musical; it just wasn't a particularly coherent or revelatory one. Now someone just needs to mount a Broadway revival and cast Ms. Hudson in it.

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter: It's a serious problem when secondary characters in a musical far outshine the leads, and that was very much the case here, notably Kristin Chenoweth as Velma Von Tussle, the arch villainess producer of Baltimore TV teen dance sensation, The Corny Collins Show. And as the host of that show, Derek Hough made his cheerful slickness appealing, lighting up the screen every time he reappeared.

Sonia Saraiya, Variety: It took about an hour for "Hairspray Live!" to find its sweet spot. The energy was a little low, a line got dropped, and the production - the most complex, it appeared, that NBC has attempted in this current spate of live musicals - took a few musical numbers to settle into a rhythm. But once it did (the energy seemed to kick in with "Welcome to the '60s") the musical easily became the best NBC has attempted.

Verne Gay, Newsday: The energetic performances and performers - some of them legendary - consumed both plot and message, of an early 1960s Baltimore TV station that banned "Negro Day" on a music show until one Tracy Turnblad (newcomer Maddie Baillio) and her new friends, like Motormouth Maybelle (Jennifer Hudson), changed history. NBC promised the most lavish live TV musical ever, spread across a couple of Universal lots. But instead, this often felt like some of those million-plus high school productions: crimped, dark, confined and spread across a few school stages.

Daniel D'Addario, Time: It's hard to say this broadcast was far from what it might have been when so many elements were as well-turned-out as they were - not just Sykes's, Hudson's, and Baillio's performances, but also Ariana Grande's, redefining her nascent pop-star image as a game day-player. The production itself was as good as could reasonably be expected for three hours live on broadcast TV.

Dina Sartore-Bodo, Hollywood Life: Obviously, Harvey was going to be perfect; he originated the role, which won him a Tony. But Harvey and Martin Short together? Perfection! I wanted to be Turnblad after 'Timeless to Me' and 'Welcome To The 60's'. They were just so precious together. Speaking of duos that defied expectations, who didn't love the chemistry between Dove Cameron and Kristin Chenoweth?! The Von Tussles haven't looked this good since the original show in 2003!

About HAIRSPRAY LIVE: Live television director Alex Rudzinski joined director Kenny Leon ("The Wiz Live!"). Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (the upcoming "A Few Good Men Live!") served as executive producers of "Hairspray Live!" Harvey Fierstein provided a new teleplay and Jerry Mitchell ("Kinky Boots," "On Your Feet") served as choreographer for the live production with music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ("Smash" and Broadway's upcoming "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"). Derek McLane served as production designer.

Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, "Hairspray Live!" takes place in 1962 Baltimore. Teenager Tracy Turnblad's dream is to dance on "The Corny Collins Show," a local TV program. When, against all odds, Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight and meets a colorful array of characters, including the resident dreamboat, Link; the ambitious mean girl, Amber; an African-American boy she meets in detention, Seaweed; and his mother, Motormouth Maybelle, the owner of a local record store. Tracy's mother is the indomitable Edna Turnblad, and she eventually encourages Tracy on her campaign to integrate the all-white "Corny Collins Show."

Photo by: Justin Lubin/NBC

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