John Travolta
Edna Turnblad
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Hairspray is a 2007 musical romantic comedy film based on the 2002 Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn was based on John Waters's 1988 comedy film of the same name.
Jul 20, 2007 · A teenage girl with a big hairdo and a big heart fights for racial integration on a TV dance show in 1960s Baltimore. IMDb provides cast and crew information, user and critic reviews, trivia, goofs, quotes, and more for this remake of John Waters' 1988 film.
- (140K)
- Comedy, Drama, Musical
- Adam Shankman
Hairspray is a 1988 American comedy film [4] written and directed by John Waters, starring Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Divine, Debbie Harry, Ricki Lake in her film debut, and Jerry Stiller, with special appearances by Ric Ocasek in his final film and Pia Zadora.
- Background
- Productions
- Synopsis
- Musical Numbers
- Instrumentation and Chorus
- Themes
- Response
- Adaptations
- Awards and Honors
- References
According to interviews included as an extra feature on the 2007 film's DVD release, theater producer Margo Lion first conceived of Hairspray as a stage musical in 1998 after seeing the original film on television. "I was home looking at a lot of movies, and one of those movies was Hairspray." She contacted John Waters, who gave her his blessing, t...
Original Broadway production
After a successful tryout at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre, Hairspray opened on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre on August 15, 2002. Jack O'Brien directed the production, which Jerry Mitchell choreographed, with set design by David Rockwell, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Steve C. Kennedy, and the show's many distinctive wigs by Paul Huntley. The performances were conducted by Lon Hoyt, with approximately 15 musicians. The original Bro...
Original London production
The West End production opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on October 11, 2007, for previews before its official opening on October 30. Michael Ball played Edna, with Mel Smith as Wilbur Turnblad, Leanne Jones as Tracy, Tracie Bennett as Velma, Paul Manuel as Corny Collins, Rachael Wooding as Amber, Elinor Collett as Penny, and Ben James-Ellis as Link. The original creative team of the Broadway production, with the director Jack O'Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, reunited for the London...
2010 Australian production
An Australian production of Hairspray opened in Melbourne at the Princess Theatre on October 2, 2010, to critical acclaim. It was directed by David Atkins and choreographed by So You Think You Can Dance Australia judge Jason Coleman. The show moved to Sydney on June 23, 2011. The cast included Jaz Flowers as Tracy, Trevor Ashley as Edna, Jack Chambers as Link, and Tevin Campbell reprising his role from the Broadway production as Seaweed. Atkins redesigned the production using new technology....
Act I
It is June 1962 in Baltimore. Tracy Turnblad, an overweight high school student, wakes up ("Good Morning Baltimore") and goes to school, where she receives a warning for "inappropriate hair height". After school, Tracy rushes home with her best friend, Penny, to catch the local teenage dance show, The Corny Collins Show ("The Nicest Kids in Town"). Edna, Tracy's shy and overweight mother, is ironing and complains about the noise of the music coming from the television, while Penny's mother, P...
Act II
After the march, most of the women are locked up in a women's penitentiary ("The Big Dollhouse"). Because of Velma's dirty tactics, the governor pardons and releases her and Amber. Wilbur bails out the rest, except Tracy, who is forced to remain in jail through another one of Velma's manipulations. Tracy is alone and wishes that Link could be with her ("Good Morning Baltimore" (Reprise)). Back at the Har-De-Har Hut (Wilbur's joke shop), Wilbur and Edna are left destitute because of the money...
Score revisions and additional songs
Hairspray went through several revisions during its pre-Broadway run in Seattle, in the process eliminating and replacing several musical numbers. In Seattle, an infomercial about safety on the road titled "Blood on the Pavement" followed "The Nicest Kids in Town", and is included on the cast album following "You Can't Stop the Beat". Early versions of the show featured "Velma's Cha-Cha" and "The Status Quo" (Seattle) (with its short reprise "Rage") during Tracy's audition and dismissal, but...
Hairspray's orchestration calls for 15 musicians: two keyboards, the first of which is played by the conductor, electric bass, two guitars, drums, percussion, two trumpets, trombone, two woodwind players, two violins, and cello. The guitarists both double on acoustic and electric guitars, with the first playing lead and the second rhythm, and the t...
Hairspray explores racial prejudice and freedom of expression. It highlights individuality, and the importance of everyone working together for something to become revolutionary. The musical is empowering, as although it touches on racial issues prevalent in 1960s America, it focuses more on the associated attitudes, and the power we have to change...
Critics
According to Variety, Hairspray received 13 favorable and four mixed reviews. In his Variety review, Charles Isherwood wrote: "this sweet, infinitely spirited, bubblegum-flavored confection won't be lacking for buyers any time soon. Arriving in an aerosol fog of advance hype, it more than lives up to its promise." Ben Brantley wrote: "So what if it's more than a little pushy in its social preaching? Stocked with canny, deliriously tuneful songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and directed b...
Box office and business
Hairspray opened with a $12 million advance; after the 2003 Tony Awards, it was expected to do five times the business it normally did on a Monday. The entire $10.5 million investment was recouped by May 2003 (about nine months after it opened on Broadway).In 2002–03 it averaged 99% capacity; in 2007 it averaged 86%.
A film version was released in July 2007. The film was directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman and starred John Travolta as Edna, Christopher Walken as Wilbur, Queen Latifah as Maybelle, Michelle Pfeiffer as Velma, James Marsden as Corny, and Nikki Blonsky as Tracy. Hugh Jackman and Joey McIntyre were also considered to play Corny. NBC's Hairsp...
Original Broadway production
Sources: PlaybillVault; Internet Broadway Database; Playbill; Playbill
Original London production
Sources: Playbill; Playbill; Olivier Awards The Telegraph
Alston, J. (2007, July 19). 'Hairspray' Problem: Segregation Wasn't Fun. Newsweek. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/hairspray-problem-segregation-wasnt-fun-104041Delmont, M.T. (2012). The nicest kids in town: American bandstand, rock 'n' roll, and the struggle for civil rights in 1950s Philadelphia, Berkeley: University of California Press.O'Donnell, Mark, Thomas Meehan, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Hairspray: The Roots (2003) Faber & Faber ISBN 0-571-21143-7Schrader, V.L. (2011). "Good Morning Baltimore": Whiteness, Blackness, and Othering in the 2007 Movie Musical. Ohio Communication Journal, 14(1), 127–143.Feb 26, 1988 · Hairspray: Directed by John Waters. With Sonny Bono, Ruth Brown, Divine, Debbie Harry. A 'pleasantly plump' teenager teaches 1962 Baltimore a thing or two about integration after landing a spot on a local TV dance show.
- (24K)
- Comedy, Drama, Family
- John Waters
Hairspray. In 1960s Baltimore, Tracy Turnblad auditions for a spot on a show and wins. She becomes a trendsetter in dance, fun and fashion. Her new status is enough to topple Corny's reigning dance queen and bring racial integration to the show. 11,684 IMDb 6.7 1 h 56 min 2007. X-Ray PG.
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In 1960s Baltimore, dance-loving teen Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) auditions for a spot on "The Corny Collins Show" and wins. She becomes an overnight celebrity, a trendsetter in dance, fun and...
- (219)
- Musical, Comedy
- PG
