Despite being an ardent
theatre-phile, I have somehow managed never to connect with the full Hairspray live experience during its
nearly 20 years of packing theatres all over the world. Sure, I remember well
the original 1988 John Waters movie in which Divine wowed the world, then the
2007 movie of the musical in which John Travolta donned Edna’s frock and more
recently the even better NBC live television broadcast which brought Harvey
Fierstein back to the role he had created on Broadway. However, now I can
finally say that I have gotten to witness the show in the flesh at the Regent Theatre,
Stoke.
This latest UK tour has
all the hallmarks of a great evening. The band for a start. The eight piece
combo lead my Musical Director Richard Atkinson are a vital ingredient, creating
those luxurious retro inspired melodies which panache. Its the bedrock of the
show to which a wonderful young cast let rip with dance moves and vocal
performances to whip up the audience into frenzy.
The plot – as you know –
centres around frumpy Tracy Turnblad who sets her heart on auditioning for the
number one television pop dance show The
Corny Collins Show. When she does
she is met with mockery and derision from the shows racist producer Velma Von
Tussle who rejects another girl on the account of her colour. From that moment
on, Tracy decides she wants the segregation policy between whites and blacks to
end and for everyone to dance together. Its a tough road of course but you know
that good is going to win over evil by the end, which is what makes this such a
feel good ride.
The composers of the
score Marc Shaiman and Scott Whittman have mined the 1960s artists such as the
Ronettes, the Supremes and Bobby Darin. They have crafted loving homages to
those heroes of another era in such foot tapping numbers as “Good Morning
Balitmore”, “Welcome To The 60s” and “It Takes Two”. They are immediately
familiar in their construction due to the razor sharp ear for the sound that
swept America in the era that saw a social revolution.
Rose O’Hare leads the
production with an assured performance as Tracy Turnblad, she nails the comedy
and the vocal chops to deliver the role with style. Matt Rixon channels just
enough Harvey Fierstein to give his Edna Turnblad an edge, and works
wonderfully well with Garaham MacDuff as husband Wilbur to create memorable
comedy. The extraordinary voice of Brenda Edwards is unleashed on the big soul
number “I Know Where I’ve Been” as Motormouth Maybelle delivers a lifetime of
experience into her big number. It rightly stops the show. Gina Murray as Velma
Von Tussle and Gemma Lawson as her daughter Amber, provide the villains of the
piece and do so with great effect. You just want to slap them both which means
the two actresses are spot on. The guys by and large have less showy roles, but
certainly Dan Partridge as singing heart throb Link Larkin, Shak
Gabbidon-Williams as young beau Seaweed and Jon Tsouras as host DJ Corny
Collins are all first rate given the material they have to skirt around. Despite the obvious - and fantastic - lead performances, this is very much an ensemble show and the energy coming off the stage from the guys and gals of the company is pure electric.
Director Paul Kerryson
has fashioned an authentic production, hitting up the camp button when it needs
to but not forgetting the important message of inclusivity that is the heart of
the show, a message that is not exclusive to the 1960s. The book by Mark O’Donnell
and Thomas Meehan is not free of clunky dialogue but the talented cast rise
above its strictures to deliver one hell of a show. I was happy to join the
audience on it’s feet during the finale number “You Can’t Stop The Beat” in
paying homage to a hit squad cast with a message we must never allow to be
forgotten. I know where I’ve been – and it was good!
Hairspray continues on it's UK tour until August. See www.hairsprayuktour.com for details.
