Theatre review: Blasts of colour and danceable music as high-energy Hairspray returns
Broadway Across Canada production oozes with fun and heartfelt messaging
Broadway Across Canada’s Hairspray.
Broadway Across Canada presents Hairspray at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre to April 7
HAIRSPRAY, THE HIT Broadway musical, has danced its way into Vancouver, looking and feeling as fresh and energized as ever.
The show, which premiered on Broadway in 2002 and is based on the 1988 film, oozes with fun and heartfelt messaging. You may just find yourself leaving the theatre humming its tunes and feeling inspired to help make positive change.
Set in Baltimore in 1962, Hairspray tells the story of Tracy Turnblad (Caroline Eiseman), a teen who’s into all the latest fads, including towering hairdos, fashion, music, and dance moves. She dreams of dancing on after-school teen TV’s The Corny Collins Show, which already features others from her high school, such as heartthrob Link Larkin (Skyler Shields) and his girlfriend Amber Von Tussle (Caroline Portner). Tracy’s loving but cautious mother Edna (comic genius Greg Kalafatas) is hesitant to let her daughter audition for the show, fearing she’ll be ridiculed because her physical appearance doesn’t match that of the other girls on the show.
Edna’s premonitions prove correct when Tracy auditions and is mocked and rejected by the show’s producer, Velma (played with enjoyable touches of villainy on opening night by understudy Emmanuelle Zeesman), who’s also Amber’s mom. Tracy soon learns that physical appearance isn’t the only thing Velma and the TV station discriminate against: they also don’t allow racial integration, or much non-white representation in general. Tracy resolves to change all of that, fighting for fair representation and equity on TV, unafraid of the risks involved.
Leading the way here is the sensational Eiseman, who’s a source of endless energy and personality as Tracy. Eiseman’s conviction in sticking to her values, while consumed with crushing on Link, makes for a terrifically likeable and believable Tracy. Watch her light up every time she gets to do the many ’60s-style dance moves by original Broadway choreographer Jerry Mitchell.
As her romantic interest, Shields glows with charisma and innocence, helping to make his and Eiseman’s relationship endearing. Scarlett Jacques’s phenomenal performance as Tracy’s best friend, Penny, is a true highlight of the show. Incredibly awkward and dorky, Jacques is a master of comedic timing and characterization—and just wait until she unleashes her electrifying voice.
The show has plenty of substance, with a strong message of inclusion and equity, and is nicely balanced by high-energy, enthusiastic numbers, such as The Corny Collins Show’s opening “The Nicest Kids in Town”, as well as the deeply moving “I Know Where I’ve Been”, led by the stunning vocals and passion of Deidre Lang as Motormouth Maybelle.
Under the original Broadway direction of Jack O’Brien, we’re transported back to the 1960s, with locales painted in pastel colours, and psychedelic collages splashed across the back scrim. William Ivey Long’s costume designs range from period-appropriate pedestrian outfits to dazzling show pieces, such as Edna’s sparkly makeover reveal in “Welcome to the ’60s”. And considering this show is named Hairspray, it’s essential to offer kudos to wig and hair designers Paul Huntley and Bernie Ardia. Highlights of their work are the sky-high updos sported by Amber and the other girls during the Miss Teen Baltimore finals.
Mitchell’s choreography is interwoven throughout the show as a storytelling device. Styles range from over-the-top but conservative routines for The Corny Collins Show, including moves like the “Stricken Chicken”, to the pelvic-thrusting, soulful choreography brilliantly performed by Josiah Rogers as Seaweed, standout dancer Josiah Thomas Randolph, and company. And as a fun break from the escalating action in the second act, we’re treated to the cheeky vaudeville-style duet “(You’re) Timeless to Me”, performed by the loveable pair of Kalafatas and Ralph Prentice Daniel as Edna’s husband, Wilbur.
The driving force holding the show together is Marc Shaiman’s music, with lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman. Arguably one of Broadway’s catchiest and infectious scores ever, the songs have an iconic 1960s flavour that compels you to tap your toes and dance in your seat. When delivered with the powerful vocals of the likes of Eiseman, Lang, Kalafatas, and Jacques, the effect is terrific.
One weakness of this production is its sound quality, as the lyrics aren’t always audible at times. This could be an issue with the acoustics at the Queen E., the sound mixing of the show, or a combination of both. It tarnishes much of the shine in the tap number, “The Big Dollhouse”, as it’s hard to hear the essential tap rhythms.
Still, the magic of the original Broadway production lives on in this tour, 24 years later– including in the opening “Good Morning Baltimore” number, where we get an overhead view of Tracy waking up, thanks to Rockwell’s clever scenic design. Hairspray’s sweet yet powerful stance on the civil rights movement and inclusion radiates as brightly as ever here, with a talented cast that’s diverse in age and ethnicity. The show’s finale, “You Can’t Stop The Beat”, will play in your head long after you’ve left the theatre. So, while the abundant use of hairspray may not have been on-trend for decades, the musical Hairspray is proving itself to be timeless. 
Related Articles
