San Diego Musical Theatre Announces Cast And Creative Team For HAIRSPRAY

San Diego Musical Theatre announced today the cast and creative team for its upcoming production of Hairspray. Hairspray, winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Book, is a family-friendly musical, piled bouffant-high with laughter, romance and deliriously tuneful songs. Music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, and book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan. Hairspray will be directed by J. Scott Lapp (SDMT's First Date), with choreography by Jill Gorrie (SDMT's Singin' in the Rain, 42nd Street, Damn Yankees), and music direction by Don LeMaster. Hairspray runs August 3 - September 2, 2018 at the historic Horton Grand Theatre, with press opening on Saturday, August 4 at 8:00 PM.

It's 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland, and quirky, plus-sized, teenage Tracy Turnblad has One Dream: to dance on The Corny Collins Show. When she gets put in detention with the African-American students in the school, they teach her some of their dance moves, and her newfound groove wins her a spot on Corny's show. Overnight, Tracy transforms from a nobody into a star, and uses her newfound influence to advocate for racial integration on the television show. With the help of the teenage heartthrob Link, host Corny Collins, and Motormouth Maybelle, Tracy overcomes the odds and succeeds in her mission to integrate The Corny Collins Show. Tony Award-winning Hairspray continues to be one of the most widely produced musicals today, not only because of its wit and charm, but also because of the beautiful message of acceptance and progress that it portrays.

The cast is led by Bethany Slomka (Tracy Turnblad), John Massey* (Edna Turnblad), Steve Gunderson* (Wilbur Turnblad), Nickolas Eiter (Link Larkin), Emma Nossal (Penny Pingleton), Kenneth Mosley (Seaweed J. Stubbs), Lauren King Thompson (Amber Von Tussle), Eboni Muse (Motormouth Maybelle), Eileen Bowman* (Velma Von Tussle), Zackary Scot Wolfe (Corny Collins), Debra Wanger (Female Authority Figure), Janae Parson (Little Inez), and Taylor Henderson, Marisa Moenho, and Renata Moenho (The Dynamites). The ensemble includes: Andra Caston, Madeline Edwards, Kiara Geolina, Kyle Leatherbury, Dylan Nalbandian, Joy Newbegin, Dallas Perry, Susanna Vaughn, and Austin Wright.

The creative team for Hairspray includes: J. Scott Lapp (Director), Jill Gorrie (Choreographer), Don LeMaster (Music Director), Michelle Miles (Lighting Design), Janet Pitcher (Costume Design), Mike Buckley (Set Design), Peter Herman (Wig/Hair Design), Heather Longfellow (Properties Design), Kevin Anthenill (Sound Design), Neil Dale (Production Manager), Steve Longfellow (Technical Director), and Marie Jahelka* (Stage Manager).

J. Scott Lapp (Director) is thrilled to be back in San Diego with SDMT after directing last season's First Date! He is an alumnus of the Directors Lab West, and a proud member of the SDC. Associate/Assistant Directing credits include Broadway: Bonnie & Clyde; International: Prince of Egypt (Fredericia); National Tour: Murder for Two, Xanadu; Off-Broadway: Murder for Two (New World Stages, Second Stage); Regional: Prince of Egypt (TheatreWorks) Rain, Into the Woods (Old Globe), Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Paper Mill Playhouse, La Jolla Playhouse). Selected directing credits include: International: Murder for Two (Calgary, Japan), Regional: Bridges of Madison County (Public Theatre of San Antonio), Sweeney Todd (North Carolina Summer Rep), First Date (PRiMA, SDMT), Murder for Two: Christmas Edition (Bucks County Playhouse), Little Women, Peter and The Starcatcher (Barn Stage Company). Upcoming projects include Gloria at Busch Gardens, Murder for Two at NCTheatre and Prince of Egypt at the National Theatre in Copenhagen.

Performances for Hairspray run August 3 - September 2, 2018 at the Horton Grand Theatre in San Diego's Gaslamp district. Showtimes for Hairspray are Wednesdays at 7:30 PM, Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Fridays at 8:00 PM, Saturdays at 8:00 PM, and Sundays at 2:00 PM. For more information on Hairspray and SDMT's 2018 Season, call the box office at (858) 560-5740 or visit www.sdmt.org.

ABOUT SDMT: Founded in 2006, San Diego Musical Theatre is dedicated to passionately producing and providing musical theatre that ignites the human spirit.

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