Book: Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan
Music: Marc Shaiman
Lyrics: Scott Whitman and Marc Shaiman
Directors: Paul Kerryson and Brenda Edwards
The road from cult movie to mainstream musical has been a long one for Hairspray. From a low budget 1988 film from a director known as the King of Bad Taste to a 2022 musical that became a 2007 movie and then gradually lodged itself into the category of West End staple and regular touring productions guaranteed to bring in the crowds. Now, more than 35 years after the original film, it stands alongside Rocky Horror Picture Show and The Producers as a stage show that has long since outgrown its cinematic origin.
The storyline is driven by Tracy Turnblad, played by Alexandra Emmerson-Kirby and her friend Penny Pingleton (Freya McMahon). They watch the Corny Collins Show in 1962 and dream about being dancers in it. The announcement of a leave of absence of one of the dancers for reasons that can’t be stated but will last for 9 months, mean that for Tracy at least, there is the chance of the dream becoming true.
Of course, the route to stardom is not straightforward. Amber Von Tussle (Allana Taylor), the main dancer and shoo-in for the title of Miss Hairspray 1962 does not want her to audition and nor does Amber’s mother Velma, played by Joanne Clifton, who just happens to be the show’s producer. Part of the reason is that Tracy doesn’t look the part in a world where looks are the most important thing a girl can have. Throw in a love interest in the form of Solomon Davy playing Link Larkin, a dancer who wants to be a solo singer and who is torn between Tracy and Amber and there are all the ingredients for a piece of cosy nostalgia that initially mines the same seam as Grease and Happy Days.
Emmerson-Kirby and McMahon, both making their professional debut in the show, have a tremendous chemistry between them. Emmerson-Kirby gives Tracy a street smart attitude and conviction and McMahon works as the perfect foil for her, bringing a geeky spirit to the part that marks her out as someone who wouldn’t be in with the cool kids but would be so much more interesting than any of them.
Taylor and Clifton both give off a sense of entitlement that is a mixture of privilege and prejudice, playing their lines with an awareness that they are the bad guys in the act. Joseph Bristow, stepping into the role of Corny Collins for this performance, effortlessly captured the part of a presenter who knows his audience and will always smile to please them.
All of this said, the basic premise for the story can only take it so far, and while all of the performances in the first act are strong, it feels at times like Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan’s book is treading water.
It is only towards the end of the act when the show takes a different path, exploring racial segregation and prejudice that it really takes off. Tracy’s plan to gatecrash the mother daughter dance special and dance with Seaweed, a black dancer played by Shemar Jarrett, who was also taking on the role for this performance, and his friends, paves the way for a second act where the both the songs and story go up by several notches.
Edna and Wilbur, Tracy’s parents played by Neil Hurst and Dermot Canavan provide what could easily be a show stealing moment with their duet ‘You’re Timeless to Me’ delivered with a genuine warmth, wit and affection that makes it seem like it could be a Morecambe and Wise routine recreated by the contestants on Drag Race.
However, they are then surpassed by record shop owner Motormouth Maybelle, played by Michelle Ndegwa giving a performance of ‘I Know Where I’ve Been’ that defies all known theories of how many notes anyone can hold for so long in one song as she delivers a powerful message that closes against an equally powerful backdrop with an image of Martin Luther King at the centre of a list of people who fought and often died for racial equality in America.
The relationship between Seaweed and Penny that has been bubbling underneath the surface also takes off in this act, bringing Jarrett and McMahon into a spotlight that they take with relish.
The whole act has an energy and momentum to it. The closing sequence is particularly joyous and uplifting as Tracy this time makes a last minute appearance at the Miss Hairspray final with all of the Black dancers who have previously only been allowed to be on the show for one ‘negro night’ special a year. All of the loose ends are wrapped up here and the show ends as a celebration. While it may not altogether ring true, it delivers a message of hope, love, equality and acceptance that makes for a very satisfying ending.
Runs until 12 October 2024 then touring | Image: Ellie Kurttz
