Review: HAIRSPRAY at The Fox Theater St. Louis

HAIRSPRAY, the hit Broadway musical opened at The Fox Theater in St. Louis Tuesday evening. The show is based on the 1988 John Waters movie that starred an unknown Rikki Lake as Tracy Turnblad and drag queen Devine as Tracy's mother. The movie was a bit darker and more serious than the upbeat and optimistic musical version, tackling the issue of integration in the early 1960s. Waters' HAIRSPRAY was not a commercial success but went on to become somewhat of a cult classic with the invention of home video. The original Broadway musical made Marisa Jaret Winkour a TONY Award Winner and propelled her career. The Musical also starred Harvey Fierstein, in drag, as Edna Turnblad and won him his fourth Tony-Award, this one for Best Actor in a Musical.

Forced adaptations of other movies into musicals have been ill-conceived, with uninspired books and lackluster scores that have had limited runs on Broadway. HAIRSPRAY is one of the few non-musical movies adapted to stage that really works on all accounts. It was among the first of this trend and is the best. Other highly successful non-musical movies that have been adapted into musicals include THE PRODUCERS and KINKY BOOTS. There are others that have enjoyed somewhat less successful runs but none the quality of HAIRSPRAY that ran for over 2,600 performances on Broadway.

HAIRSPRAY is set in 1962 in segregated Baltimore. A plump young teen, Tracy Turnblad (Niki Metcalf), tries out to become a dancer on a popular Saturday afternoon show. During her five minutes of fame, Tracy takes on segregation with her new-found celebrity. Her mother, Edna (Andrew Levitt) is a self-conscious, agoraphobic housewife and a loving parent who worries that Tracy is taking on too much for a young teen. These two roles are critical to the success of HAIRSPRAY and if not perfectly cast could turn fun campy roles into odd caricatures. In the hands of Ms. Metcalf and Mr. Levitt this production quickly hits its stride and never looks back.

Niki Metcalf as Tracy has the perfect amount of optimism, joy and exuberance. Her Tracy is a loveable character and Metcalf delivers a performance that rivals any previous production of HAIRSPRAY. Andrew Levitt's Edna transforms into a confident woman and mother while visiting the dress shop during "Welcome to the 60's." As Edna's confidence grows with her makeover, Mr. Levitt's performance charms the audience. The usual throwaway number of "Your Timeless to Me" becomes a comedic gem in the hands of Levitt and Christopher Swan who plays Edna's husband Walter.

The entire company delivers lively, enthusiastic performances. The score is simply infectious from beginning to end. The finale of this show has arguably the greatest feel-good song ever written for the stage. "You Can't Stop the Beat" continues to electrify the audience decades after the original production. This is a big, bold, fun and colorful production of HAIRSPRAY. The show is every bit as fresh today as when it premiered on Broadway in 2002 because the messages of integration and the injustice of racism still resonate today.

HAIRSPRAY plays through Saturday, April 9th at The Fox Theater in St. Louis. For more information visit fabulousfox.com.

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