Where is the HAIRSPRAY Original Cast Now?

Hey there, teenage Baltimore! It's officially been seventeen years since Broadway audiences were first welcomed the the 60s with the opening of Hairspray at the Neil Simon Theatre on August 15, 2002.

The show, which is based off of John Water's 1988 film of the same name, won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and ran for 2,642 performances before closing on January 4,2009. Over the course of just over five years, the show starred Broadway favorites including Aaron Tveit, Caissie Levy, Andrew Rannells, Ashley Spencer, Richard H. Blake, and Jenn Gambatese.

Hairspray received several other productions included a national tour and a West End production that earned eleven Olivier Award nominations. It was also adapted into a movie musical in 2007 starring Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, Zac Efron, and more. NBC also broadcasted a live musical version of Hairspray in 2016 starring Maddie Baillio, Harvey Fierstein, Ariana Grande, and more.

To celebrate the special occasion, we're looking back what the nicest kids in town have been up to since leaving The Corny Collins Show, including Marissa Jaret Winokur, Harvey Fierstein, Matthew Morrison, Kerry Butler, and more! Check it all out below!

Following her Tony-winning performance as Tracy Turnblad, Marissa left the Broadway production of Hairspray in 2003 and began working primarily in television. She was a series regular on Fox's sitcom Stacked and has been in guest-starring roles in shows including Melissa & Joey and Playing House. She has also lent her voice to animated TV series including American Dad and King of the Hill. She has also been seen on a handful of reality shows include as the winner of the first season of Celebrity Big Brother and as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars. Marissa's story with Hairspray didn't end with her initial final bow, though, as she returned to the role of Tracy for stints in both 2005 and at the end of the show's run in late 2008.

After leaving his Tony-winning role as Tracy Turnblad's mother in 2004, Harvey went on to roles both onstage and behind the scenes. His other Broadway roles since Hairspray have included Tevye in the 2004 revival of Fiddler on the Roof and Albin in the 2010 Tony-winning revival of La Cage Aux Folles. Harvey also went on to write the books for the several acclaimed Broadway musical, including Newsies in 2012 and Kinky Boots in 2013, both of which garnered him Tony nominations. His play Casa Valentina also made it to the Broadway stage in 2014 as part of Manhattan Theatre Club's season. Most recently, his classic work Torch Song was revived on Broadway in 2018 following an acclaimed run at Second Stage Theater. His newest play, Bella Bella, begins performances Off-Broadway this October with Manhattan Theatre Club.

After leaving the role of Link Larkin, which garnered him an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination, Matthew went on to originate the role of Fabrizio in 2005's The Light in the Piazza. He also returned to Broadway as Lieutenant Joseph Cable in the 2008 revival of South Pacific and as J.M. Barrie in 2014's Finding Neverland. Matthew became a household name with his role as Will Schuester in Fox's Glee, which spanned six seasons. He made his directorial debut in the show's third season. He has also been seen on TV shows including The Good Wife and Grey's Anatomy and most recently was a dance captain on BBC One's The Greatest Dancer. He has also released two solo albums: 'Matthew Morrison' and 'Where It All Began.'

Since leaving Hairspray, Kerry Butler has gone on to originate several roles on Broadway, including Clio/Kira in Xanadu, Brenda Strong in Catch Me If You Can, Marianne in Disaster, and Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/Mrs. George in Mean Girls. She appeared as a replacement in Rock of Ages and in the revivals of Little Shop of Horrors and The Best Man. She can currently be seen as Barbara Maitland in Beetlejuice at Broadway's Winter Garden Theatre. She also released her solo album Faith, Trust, & Pixie Dust in 2008. On TV, she can be seen in shows like 30 Rock, The Mindy Project, Blue Bloods, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Following her time on the Corny Collins Show, Laura Bell Bundy went on to be a Glinda standby in the Broadway company of Wicked. Shortly after, she originated the role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde on Broadway, a role which garnered her a Tony nomination. Her performance as Elle was seen nationwide, as the production was filmed and broadcasted on MTV in 2007. She was also recently seen on stage in Paper Mill Playhouse's world premiere of The Honeymooners. She has been seen on screen in the recurring role of Becky in How I Met Your Mother. She also appeared on Hart of Dixie and FX's Anger Management, as well as in the 2006 movie adaptation of the classic musical Dreamgirls.

After leaving his Tony-nominated Broadway debut in Hairspray in 2003, Corey went on to play several on-screen roles for both film and television. Most prominently, he appeared on the hit TV show The Closer as David Gabriel throughout the show's seven seasons. He has also been seen in the films Selma, Straight Outta Compton and The Meddler, as well as TV shows including Murder in the First, Getting On, Masters of Sex, and Criminal Minds.

After originating the role of the big, blonde, and beautiful Motormouth Maybelle, Mary Bond Davis, she stayed with the Broadway production of Hairspray until 2008. She also made appearances on the big screen in the 2004 film New York Minute and 2005 film Romance & Cigarettes. She then decided to refocus her career, transitioning it from theatre to wellness.

After her role as Miss Baltimore Crabs, Linda Hart reunited with Hairspray's composer and lyricist, Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman, as she returned to Broadway in the 2011 production of Catch Me If You Can playing Linda Strong, the mother to the character of Brenda played by her Hairspray co-star Kerry Butler. She has also since been featured on television shows including The Winner and Desperate Housewives.

Dick Latessa, whose performance as Wilbur won him a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award, finished his run in the Broadway production in 2009. He was then seen as Dr. Dreyfuss in the 2010 Broadway revival of Promises, Promises alongside Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth. He was also seen on the Broadway stage in the 2012 production of The Lyons starring Linda Lavin. Sadly, he passed away at the age of 87 due to cardiac failure on December 19, 2016.

Since leaving his role as the host of the Corny Collins Show, Clarke went on to perform in the Broadway production of Mamma Mia as Harry Bright. He later returned to Hairspray for the final ten months of the show's Broadway run. He was later part of the original cast of the 2012 Broadway revival of Annie as Rooster Hannigan. He has also recently been seen on the Great White Way as Kruger in The Front Page and Professor Zoltan Karpathy in the Tony-winning revival of My Fair Lady.

After leaving her role as Penny's mother in Hairspray, Jackie reunited with her onstage daughter, Kerry Butler, in the Broadway production of Xanadu. She has also since appeared on Broadway as Grandma in The Addams Family, Madame Dilly in On the Town, and Mrs. Teavee in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She also garnered an Emmy nomination for her performance as Mamacita in Feud: Bette & Joan. Her other television appearances include 30 Rock, Difficult People, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. She can currently be seen in the Off-Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish at Stage 42 after appearing in the production's previous run at the National Yiddish Theatre.