Review of Hairspray
Sunderland Empire
Five stars
A joyful riot of music and dance in glorious technicolour
Hairspray, set in the bopping1960s, is about an ambitious, plump teenager Tracy Turnblad who wants to dance on Baltimore’s Corny Collins TV spectacular. But the route to her dream and success is not that simple.
Along her journey to get acceptance as someone who is not the conventional size, this is also a show about racial segregation and the lack of black dancers on the TV show, which Tracy tries to tackle.
Her story is told by some of the most stunning singing and dancing routines I’ve seen in a big theatrical production, with eye-popping, day-glow sets to match the explosive energy of the performers.
It covers important issues, which are as relevant today, even more so maybe, such as racial integration and the unrelenting pursuit of physical perfection, at the expense of having fun and being kind to one another.
The action starts with Tracy, played superbly by Katie Brace, who coincidentally is from Sunderland, in her bedroom, a small and intimate scene before building up to the Corny Collins TV show’s dynamic tempo. As the main man TV presenter Declan Egan had tremendous stage presence with the perfect balance of showmanship and empathy towards Tracy.
Putting a spanner in the works of Tracy achieving her dream is the Corny Collin’s TV producer Velma von Tussle, played very well as a Cruella de Vil- type villain by Joanne Clifton, a past Strictly Come Dancing winner.
As Tracy’s love interest Solomon Davy’s performance of Link Larkin, was a very believable TV heart-throb. His character’s arc from an ambitious, self-obsessed performer to someone who starts to see life’s bigger picture, in particular how black people were treated, worked well.
However, the power behind the throne of this show is without doubt Tracy’s mother, the indomitable Edna Turnblad.
I had only seen the Hairspray film before seeing this show and thought John Travolta’s performance would be hard to beat but Neil Hurst was equally fantastic. He has a voice and comedic skill that helped to make the show a real blast from beginning to end.
His duet of Mama I’m a Big Girl Now with Tracy is beautiful and poignant as was You are Timeless to Me, with her husband, Wilbur Turnblad, well-played by Dermot Canavan. You couldn’t hear a pin drop in the packed auditorium.
Scenes with the black cast in the show were huge theatrical treats, led by fantastic performers including Michelle Ndegwa as Motormouth Maybelle and Reece Richards as Seaweed.
Tracy joins the black dancers and singers and their fight to be included in the Corny Collins show. In the most uplifting way, the message of how important it is to live in peace no matter the colour of your skin, has never seemed so pertinent.
The songs and music were all infectious and memorable with dancing routines to more than match them. Particular highlights for me were Good Morning Baltimore which was performed with huge energy. It is still in my head now!
All of the costumes were the right mix of high camp and glamour. The finale took it to an even higher level of glitz and psychedelic splendour than I thought ever could have been possible. The sequins dazzled and shone like neon headlights, adding to the pizzazz and frenetic pace of the dancing routines.
The whole cast were flawless and their stamina something to behold. I don’t think there was a time when someone wasn’t dancing as if their life depending on it.
This show has a huge heart, wrapped up in a great sense of joy and rhythm which left the audience standing on their feet in appreciation of a super theatrical spectacle. It is totally recommended for everyone and will put a smile on your face and probably make you want to dance all the way home.