Hairspray is bright and upbeat and just the tonic to cheer up the winter blues.
While it poured down outside, inside The King’s Theatre in Glasgow, the sun was shining as the audience was treated to a show packed full of fun, fantastic songs and a colourful set.
Hairspray debuted in Seattle in 2002, before moving to Broadway and it hasn’t lost its shine since.
Set in Baltimore in 1962, it tells the tale of full of fizz teenager Tracy Turnblad (Katie Brace) with a giant bow in her beehive hairdo, who wants to be a star and is obsessed with the television presenter, Corny Collins (Declan Egan).
Living with her larger than life mum, Edna (Neil Hurst) and dad Wilbur (Dermot Canavan), Tracy’s world is turned upside down when she gets the chance to be on Collin’s show and she dances her way into fame and love with teen idol Link Larkin (Solomon Davy).
The role of Tracy’s mum is traditionally played by a man, with John Travolta taking on the role in the 2007 film version and Hurst clearly has fun playing a woman in true Les Dawson style.
As much as it is a love story, it also has a clear social message connected with the race segregation issues which Baltimore faced in the 1960s. It also addresses the way society views how people look.
Tracy is the pioneer who wants to bring everyone together and with her “can do” attitude, she breaks down the barriers.
The story is told with sympathy and a whole host of one liners, which makes it a comfortable watch.
Strictly star Joanne Clifton plays Velma Von Tussle, the racist producer of The Corny Collins show, with her “opposite”, Motormouth Maybelle (Michelle Ndegwa), an R & B record producer, mother of Seaweed (Reece Richards) and Little Inez (Katlo). Velma’s daughter, Amber Von Tussle (Allana Taylor) is the ex-girlfriend of Link Larkin, which also causes hostility and Tracy’s best friend Penny Pingelton (Freya McMahon) tries to act as peacemaker.
Smaller cast roles are played by Stuart Hickey, Kirsty Sparks, Ben Anderson, Grace Anyiam, Nina Bell, Vanessa Dumatey, Rebecca French, Marcellus Hill, Shemar Jarrett, Jáiden Lodge, Olly Manley, Sasha Monique, Jacob Smith and Issie Wilman.
It’s the music which makes the production a real winner with Richard Atkinson leading a fabulous band made up of Rickey Long, Elijah Godson, Wayne Jonathan Matthews, Manolo Polidario, Robert Greenwood, Sally McTaggart, Matt Parry and Richard Weeden belting out the tunes for the cast who clearly revel in singing such greats as “Good Morning Baltimore”, “New Girl In Town”, “Welcome to the 60s”, “Without Love” and “You Can’t Stop The Beat”.
Directors Paul Kerryson and Brenda Edwards give the show just the right balance, leaving a clearly happy audience singing along as they head back out to winter.
Hairspray runs until Saturday 1st February at The King’s Theatre in Glasgow with tickets available from: www.atgtickets.com.
Author Bio:
Rebecca Hay is an experienced travel writer and member of The British Guild of Travel Writers. Follow her adventures with her family on Twitter and Instagram @emojiadventurer and on Facebook via EmojiAdventurers2.
Photographs by Ellie Kurttz
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