Te Auaha Presents NZ Premiere Of CRY-BABY: THE MUSICAL

The full cohort of Whitireia's Musical Theatre students are rehearsing their bobby socks off in preparation for New Zealand's first ever season of Cry-Baby The Musical. Adapted from the John Waters film of the same name, this campy and wickedly subversive show will run for eight outrageous nights at Te Auaha - The NZ Institute of Creativity from 5-14 September.

Musical Director Kate Marshall says the show has it all. "Fabulous singing, big dance numbers and hilarious dialogue. Cry-Baby the Musical has one of the best rock-n-roll scores I've ever worked with. It's a full-on non-stop toe tapping extravaganza".

It's 1954. Everybody likes Ike, nobody likes communism and the city of Baltimore is a topsy-turvy moral meritocracy. Enter star-crossed lovers Wade 'Cry-Baby' Walker - the coolest boy in Baltimore - and wealthy ingenue, Allison, who's captivated by the bad-boy's pouting pursuit of truth, justice and rock and roll. Fuelled by hormones and the new rhythms of popular music, Allison turns her back on her king-of-the-squares boyfriend Baldwin to become a 'drape', and Cry-Baby's girl. The stage is set for a pitched battle between the squeaky-clean, close-harmony Squares and juvenile delinquent Drapes.

This is a story straight from the mind of John Waters, the acid-witted king of kitsch behind cult-cinema classics Hairspray, Pink Flamingos and Serial Mom. The musical reimagining of Waters' film boasts a sharp-tongued book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan (Hairspray), and insanely catchy songs such as 'I'm Infected' and 'Girl, Can I Kiss You With Tongue?' by Adam Schlesinger (That Thing You Do) and David Javerbaum (The Daily Show). Premiering on Broadway in 2008, the show was the top choice for Marshall and the show's director and choreographer Leigh Evans because of the way it would showcase the students' talents. "Our production of Cry-Baby shows what 'triple threats' these young performers are," says Marshall. "I am extremely proud of the cast for approaching the show with such professionalism, enthusiasm and a sense of adventure."

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