HAIRSPRAY Opens Friday Night 1/5 at Murfreesboro's Center for the Arts

Murfreesboro's Center for the Arts kicks off its 2018 season with Hairspray, co-directed by the mother-daughter team of Denise Parton and Brittany Griffin. Performances run January 5-21.

Based on the 1988 film by John Waters, Hairspray tells the tuneful story of Tracy Turnblad, who has never been part of the "in" crowd until winning a coveted spot on the local TV dance program, "The Corny Collins Show," where she becomes a teen idol and an overnight sensation in Baltimore. Tracy quickly becomes a trendsetter and uses her popularity to help change the show's segregation policy.

With Belmont University's Tori Kocher as Tracy Turnblad, Hairspray the Musical is filled with toe-tapping '60s-style production numbers.

"After the show was cast, we had to cancel our rehearsal for Saturday, October 28, because of the White Lives Matter rally that was scheduled to be held downtown," explains Parton. "At one time, different races could not even dance together, like in Hairspray. We think we have come so far, but have we really? It's a shame that such a rally could even be requested in this day. We are proud of the way our community stepped forward and showed that we won't tolerate hate."

"My favorite line in the show can be found in the hit song, 'You Can't Stop the Beat'," says Griffin. "It says, 'You can't stop today, as it comes speeding down the track. Child yesterday is history and it's never coming back. Cause tomorrow is a brand-new day and it don't know white from black.' I feel this is the message of the entire show. The old way of segregation and treating those different than you as less than, because you don't understand them, needs to be left in the past with history. Murfreesboro experienced this on a personal level October 28. Thankfully, we stood together in love and kept the hate away. This show is a celebration of that."

Performances are January 5-21, with curtain at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, with 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. For tickets, go to www.boroarts.org or call (615) 904-2787.

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