Review: HAIRSPRAY 'Can't Stop the Beat' at Out Front Theatre Company

At Out Front Theatre Company, 2024 Atlanta has become 1960s Baltimore as audiences flock to see their current production of Hairspray.  Based on the titular John Waters cult classic film, young song-and-dance hopeful Tracy Turnblad is determined to change the minds and hearts of those around her - about her talent, her plus-sized body, and her community’s racial divide.  

Filled with humor and catchy tunes, it’s a show that is charming and fun while giving the viewers a deeper message too, one about equality and giving the underdog a fighting chance.  This is perhaps kicked up another notch by the team at Out Front, Atlanta’s leader in LGBTQIA+ theater and storytelling, where the cast, crew, and behind-the-scenes team are all devoted to promoting the arts through the queer lens.

One can tell upon entering the building just how devoted to the craft Out Front is - custom themed cocktails are available at the bar and kitschy art tying into the show decorates the walls of the lobby. 60s music plays in the theater, and the set is charming from the start. David Reingold's lighting design is especially clever, standing out more than once during the show.

But the heart of Hairspray lies firmly with Tracy Turnblad, performed with all the heart she can muster by Caty Bergmark.  Whether it’s singing, dancing, making us laugh, or bringing a small tear to the eye, Bergmark is not just a hopeful star - she is one.  It’s easy to see why she’s able to turn the head of the “nicest kid in town,” local heartthrob Link Larkin, played by Josh Hudson as a suave and sweet triple threat.  Link himself is linked up (forgive the pun) with Wynne Kelly’s Amber Von Tussle, whose song and dance talent is only overshadowed by her snotty mean girl nature, making her a great villain to root against and Tracy so much easier to cheer for.  

Tracy’s best friend Penny provides some of the biggest comic relief through the entire show thanks to Allie Hill’s impeccable timing and physicality (seriously, ignore everyone else during “I Can Hear the Bells”), and her beau Seaweed, played by Andrew Goodall, works hard to keep pace with her humor - and does so with some very impressive dance skills.

The 2002 Broadway production of Hairspray as well as its cinematic predecessor played with the construct of gender by having Tracy’s mother Edna played by a drag queen (Divine in the film, Harvey Fierstein on stage), and this production follows suit with Blake Fountain (a.k.a. Tugboat the Queen) giving Edna a comedic yet emotional turn that makes her as easy to love as her daughter.  The entire audience was practically dancing in their seats during the showstopping “Welcome to the 60s” number, so much of it in thanks to Fountain. All of his scenes were captivating but especially alongside Edna’s on-stage husband Wilbur, charmingly and goofily played by occasional scene-stealer Elliott Folds (funnily enough, Caty Bergmark's husband in real life).  

But is one drag queen enough for a theater company like Out Front?  Absolutely not - and so Velma Von Tussle is played by Paul Conroy, Out Front’s founder and producing artistic director.  Conroy’s attitude is perfect for the stage mother villainess, though the prerecorded track forced a slight vocal stretch that a key change could have made perfect (the good news is, the reprise was spoke-sung and was amazing).  But even a taped track won’t faze Kayce Denise’s Motormouth Maybelle, whose powerhouse vocals bring the audience to tears and their feet at multiple times through the show - a given, considering she's performed the role at both the Atlanta Lyric and City Springs Theatres.

Much of the company is formed of talented triple threats, but there were multiple moments where obvious slip-ups happened - a dance move done wrong, a misplaced mark, lines flubbed - and a few of the actors, even prominent ones, were giving fairly wooden performances.  I’ll chalk it up to the old theatrical idea that the second show is the worst.  Honestly, if what I saw is the worst of the run, then this is a show worth seeing.  Out Front Theatre Company’s production of Hairspray is a hilarious and heartfelt display of talent and hard work, both onstage and off.

Hairspray runs at Out Front Theatre Company from now until November 9th.  Tickets are available at outfronttheatre.com.

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