With dreams only slightly bigger than the hair, Tracy Turnblad plans to eat some breakfast, then change the world. The iconic musical sensation, Hairspray, is bringing glitz and groove to a venue near you on its UK tour.
1960s Baltimore is a quirky place to be, filled with unique faces and strong opinions. At a time of tension, racial segregation and prolific stereotyping, if you were deemed anything outside of the 'ideal', you were forever tarnished with failure. Building a mere tolerance of one another was a goal in progress. Aspiring to dance on 'The Corny Collins Show' (Declan Egan perfectly portraying the effervescive host) young Tracy strives to take any opportunity to make an impact. Making her professional debut, Alexandra Emmerson-Kirby takes the lead with passion and enthusiasm; bubbly and bold in her execution. Neil Hurst is a real marvel as Edna. His characterisation incorporates an infectiously fun spirit that you can't help but adore. Coupled with Dermot Canavan as her dearest Wilbur, their humorous chemistry lights up the stage with their presence.
Kirsty Sparks made a fierce impression as Velma von Tussle (also performed by Joanne Clifton in other performances), with her daughter, Amber (played by Allana Taylor), being a disagreeable pair. Reece Richards busts the moves as Seaweed, Katlo is a star as Little Inez, and Solomon Davy becomes lover-boy Link Larkin. As geeky, overprotected best friend, Penny Pilkington, Freya McMahon is transformative in her exaggerated persona when presenting the part. From a casting perspective, it appears fairly faultless, with each involved demonstrating their skill well given the script they work with.
Despite moments of truly enthralling the audience - capturing a bout of enthusiasm only weaned from the most joyous of shows - several jokes are now more lost than ever, met more with a grimace than a giggle. The 60s contextuality in contemporary society proves a little hard to evaluate at times, seeming against the grain to laugh at that gender, weight, or race joke, even if it is worked into the script. However, a message of solidarity and affirmation of the changes towards a more equal society yet noting we still have a way to go to achieve this.
From dazzling dresses to an array of individually designed jumpsuits, Takis' costumes express the fast-paced plot in style. It's a tad shame that Tracy doesn't get more variety, rather than being stuck in school uniform more often than necessary though. Even with a few funny moves that ruled the dancefloor at of the time, slick choreography by Drew McOnie keeps a nice fluidity to the piece, alongside fresh direction by Brenda Edwards with Paul Kerryson, and those famed songs that we all know and love. Sadly, the set was lacking, with metal elements that were unnecessarily noisy on manoeuvre and screens often as an underwhelming backdrop, giving the impression that there could be better uses of the space to illustrate the narrative and further highlight the talent of the company.
Featuring countless hits including 'Good Morning Baltimore', 'Welcome to the 60s' and 'I Can Hear the Bells', the popping and catchy music is sure to be enjoyable. The 'Dynamites' (Grace Anyiam, Vanessa Dumatey and Sasha Monique) add a rich dynamic to the vocals, and together, the cast mixes tones well, given the nature of the tracks. Michelle Ndegwa generates a more meaningful atmosphere with her ballads as Motormouth Maybelle, empowering 'Big, Blonde and Beautiful' and 'I Know Where I've Been', to contrast the upbeat compositions elsewhere in the musical. One of which was Edna and Wilbur's duet - 'You're Timeless to Me' - which was crudely amusing and became an undefined blend between adlib and lyrics: a panto-esque element that disjoints the storyline but adds another aspect of comedy and laughter to the show.
While undoubtedly a lot of fun and arguably just reflecting the views from the era, it's unclear as to whether it may be time to retire such a production or if some tweaks could maintain its longevity since the relatability is drifting. Otherwise, the standard of performance from all involved is impressive, so it's worth catching the musical for that alone, as well as an entertaining night out.
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