Review: HAIRSPRAY THE MUSICAL at The Overture Center

Get your beehive hairdos ready, this is a great ride!

Hairspray the Musical has been around since 1988. I know, weird right? Originally written and directed by John Waters, the cult film was adapted into a Broadway hit in 2002, winning countless awards both in the USA as well as abroad. And it shows!

Based in 1962 Baltimore, the show answers the question, "Can a big girl with big hair and even bigger dreams, dance her way into changing the world?"

16-Year-old, Tracy Turnblad (Niki Metcalf) just wants to dance on The Corny Collins (Billy Dawson) Show, a local TV dance program (based on the real-life Buddy Deane Show), and meet heartthrob Link Larkin (Will Savarese). Tracy has a lot going for her, supportive parents, Edna (Andrew Levitt aka Nina West) and Wilbur (Christopher Swan). Other than her best friend, Penny Pingleton (Emery Henderson), Tracy finds her biggest supporters through doing a stint at detention, when she begins dancing with Seaweed J. Stubbs (Brandon G. Stalling), a black boy from the wrong side of the town. In fact, everyone black is from the wrong side of town in 1962 Baltimore. But Seaweed is the dancer from The Corny Collins Show's "Negro Day", the one day a month when the black kids can dance on the show. Tracy wants to change that and allow the blacks and the whites to dance together.

Impeded by her nemesis Amber Von Tussle (Kaelee Albritton) and Amber's racist mother, Velma Von Tussle (Addison Garner), the producer of The Corny Collins show. Tracy is rejected from the show's audition because of her size. Velma also refuses to allow Little Inez (Kaléa Leverette) to audition because she is black.

The energy and excitement of Nikki's portrayal of Tracy is infectious. Edna and Wilbur's relationship is endearing and both Andrew Levitt aka Nina West and Christopher Swan did an amazing job of not being caricatures but bringing a realness to the characters. Everyone raves about the musical number, You Can't Stop the Beat, and it was great, but for this reviewer, "Momma I'm a Big Girl Now" was the best choreographed and most amazing number in the show.

Through the entire production the person I could not take my eyes off was Seaweed. Brandon G. Stalling commanded the stage with movement and poise. He was a pleasure to watch.

The entire production was filled with energy and had the audience dancing in their seats.

An amazing time and a great message. Go, see it before your chance to do so is gone!

PRINCIPAL CAST WILL FEATURE ANDREW LEVITT (AKA Nina West), Niki Metcalf AND Gabriyel Thomas

Madison, Wis. (Feb. 8, 2022) - In just two weeks, HAIRSPRAY, Broadway's Tony Award®-winning musical comedy phenomenon, opens at Overture Center! This new North American tour, helmed by original director Jack O'Brien and original choreographer Jerry Mitchell, will play Tuesday, Feb. 22 through Sunday, Feb. 27, 2022 in Overture Hall. To purchase tickets, visit overture.org.

The cast will be led by Andrew Levitt aka Nina West (from "RuPaul's Drag Race") as Edna Turnblad, Niki Metcalf as Tracy Turnblad and Gabriyel Thomas as Motormouth Maybelle, Billy Dawson as Corny Collins, Will Savarese as Link Larkin, Emery Henderson as Penny Pingleton, Brandon G. Stalling as Seaweed J. Stubbs, Kaelee Albritton as Amber Von Tussle and Addison Garner as Velma Von Tussle.

Christopher Swan will play Wilbur Turnblad and Kaléa Leverette will play Little Inez with Caroline Daye Attayek, Kelly Barberito, Helene Britany, Jamonté Bruten, Tanner Callicutt, Shante Clarke, Ryahn Evers, Carly Haig, Micheal Corey Hassel, Kaleb Jenkins, Greg Kalafatas, Gabriel Kearns, Stevie LeWarne, Jr., Nichelle Lewis, Paris Mone't Lewis, Brendan Morris, Faith Northcutt, Adam Blake Raque, Nadia Ra'Shaun, Renée Reid, Micah Sauvageau, George Vickers V and Emmanuelle Zeesman as members of the ensemble.

"It's a brand-new world we find ourselves in today, and HAIRSPRAY is even more relevant than 20 years ago when it first burst onto the scene. With the renewed, refreshed energy of the unforgettable 'Nina West' as Edna and a whole new generation of wildly talented kids across the board, we cannot wait to raise the various roofs once more with dance, joy, music and that glorious, famous, energy-packed score!" shared Director Jack O'Brien.

Choreographer Jerry Mitchell added, "HAIRSPRAY has always been about all of us dancing together! I am thrilled to welcome this NEW company of amazing #FULLOUT talents to lead the way as we dance across America with a message of inclusion and hope because 'You really Can't Stop the Beat!'"

HAIRSPRAY is the story of 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad in 1960's Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV's most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world? Featuring the beloved score of hit songs including "Welcome to the 60's," "Good Morning Baltimore" and "You Can't Stop the Beat," HAIRSPRAY is "fresh, winning and deliriously tuneful!" (The New York Times).

This new touring production will reunite Broadway's award-winning creative team, led by Director Jack O'Brien and Choreographer Jerry Mitchell, to bring HAIRSPRAY to a new generation of theater audiences. HAIRSPRAY is based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters, who served as a creative consultant on the musical comedy. It features a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan. HAIRSPRAY features an original score by Academy Award-nominated Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The tour is produced by NETworks Presentations.

Additional creative team for HAIRSPRAY includes Tour Director Matt Lenz, Tour Choreographer Michele Lynch, Set Designer David Rockwell, Lighting Designer Kenneth Posner, Tour Lighting Designer Paul Miller, Costume Designer William Ivey Long, Hair and Wig Designer Paul Huntley and Richard Mawbey, Sound Designer Shannon Slaton, Music Supervisor Lon Hoyt and Casting by Stewart/Whitley.

HAIRSPRAY premiered at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theater in June 2002. The show was a smash hit when it transferred to Broadway, winning eight 2003 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and became the longest-running musical to play the Neil Simon Theater, running 2,642 performances from July 18, 2002, until January 4, 2009. It is the 22nd longest running show in roadway history.

Learn more about the new touring production at www.hairspraytour.com.

Website: www.hairspraytour.com

Facebook: @HairsprayOnTour

Instagram: @HairsprayOnTour

Twitter: @HairsprayOnTour

TikTok: @HairsprayOnTour

Hashtags: #HairsprayOnTour #HairsprayMusical

Broadway at Overture is sponsored by American Family Insurance. Our community partner for Hairspray is J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. Overture is grateful for this community support that helps make these experiences possible.

At this time, everyone who enters Overture Center must wear a mask and must show proof of vaccination, including (starting March 1) a booster if eligible, or a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 72 hours of entering along with a photo ID (children without a photo ID must be accompanied by a guardian). For more details, visit overture.org/health.

Building Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11-6; Sunday, 12-6; and extended hours on event days.

OVERTURE CENTER FOR THE ARTS in Madison, Wis., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization that features seven state-of-the-art performance spaces and four galleries where national and international touring artists, nine resident companies and hundreds of local artists engage people in nearly 700,000 educational and artistic experiences each year. With the vision to provide "Extraordinary Experiences for All," Overture's mission is to support and elevate our community's creative culture, economy and quality of life through the arts. overture.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.