hairspray
Location: Shaftesbury Theatre
The hip musical about a teenage girl following her dreams continues at the Shaftesbury theatre through 2009, allowing audiences to experience this popular story performed by a great cast.
This cast consists of the likes of Michael Ball and Nigel Planer, two actors who are more than capable of taking on these roles and making them their own. Planer is of course best known for playing the student hippie Neil in the hit 1980s television sitcom The Young Ones, appearing alongside Rik Mayall, Ade Edmondson, Christopher Ryan and Alexei Sayle in a production that defined a generation.
In that same decade the original version of Hairspray first hit cinema screens. Director John Waters brought it to the public’s imagination with his 1988 movie, which went on to inspire the stage musical and the second movie version – an adaptation of the musical. In the 2002 movie, John Travolta appeared in a fat suit, dressed as a woman and played the character of Tracey’s mother.
Tracey is the character whose journey we follow through the course of the musical. She is a teenage girl who loves to sing and dance and whose favourite television programme is “The Corny Collins Show”. Her biggest dream in life is to win the grand prize of Miss Teenage Hairspray and her attempts to win this coveted title lead her to practice non-stop with the help of her friends. Then her big break arrives; someone has dropped out of “The Corny Collins Show” and auditions for the replacement dancer will commence immediately. Tracey jumps at the chance to appear on her favourite show and promptly tries for the part, managing to surpass the other applicants and win her a place. The problem comes in the form of the Queen of the production, Amber; Tracey is the new girl of the team and Amber does not take too kindly to being outshined. How will she overcome this conflict? And will she succeed in winning over the dishy Link Larkin?
This is a multi award winning production that is highly likely to win you over the second it begins. It has won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical since it opened in 2007 as well as a 2008 Critics Circle Award. It means that both audiences and critics alike are raving about this show. So make sure you get Hairspray tickets to the Shaftesbury Theatre soon and witness it for yourself.