Hairspray the Musical

Hairspray is a Broadway musical (with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan), based on the 1988 John Waters movie by the same name. The songs include 1960s-style dance music and "downtown" rhythm and blues. In 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, plump teenager Tracy Turnblad's dream is to dance on The Corny Collins Show, a local TV dance program (based on the real-life Buddy Deane Show). When Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight. She then launches a campaign to racially integrate the show. ''Hairspray'' is a social commentary on the injustices of parts of American society in the 1960s.

Hairspray's original Broadway production opened in 2002 and won eight Tony Awards out of thirteen nominations. As of April 2008, it has played for over 2,300 performances. Hairspray has also enjoyed U.S. national tours and numerous foreign productions and was adapted for a 2007 musical film. The London West End production was nominated for a record-setting eleven Laurence Olivier Awards, winning for Best New Musical and in three other categories.
Contents

Act I
* "Good Morning Baltimore" - Tracy and Company
* "The Nicest Kids in Town" - Corny and Council Members
* "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" - Edna, Tracy, Prudy, Penny, Velma, Amber, and Company
* "I Can Hear the Bells" - Tracy and Company
* "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs" - Velma and Council Members with Tracy, Penny, and Little Inez
* "The Madison" - Corny and Company
* "The Nicest Kids in Town (Reprise)" - Corny and Council Members
* "It Takes Two" - Link, Tracy, and Men
* "Velma's Revenge" - Velma
* "Welcome to the 60's" - Tracy, Edna, The Dynamites, and Company
* "Run and Tell That!" - Seaweed, Little Inez, and Detention Kids
* "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful" - Motormouth, Little Inez, Tracy, Edna, Wilbur, and Company

Act II
* "The Big Dollhouse" - Matron, Edna, Velma, Tracy, Amber, Penny, Motormouth, Little Inez, Female Ensemble
* "Good Morning Baltimore (Reprise)" - Tracy
* "(You're) Timeless to Me" - Edna and Wilbur
* "Without Love" - Tracy, Link, Penny, Seaweed, and Company
* "I Know Where I've Been" - Motormouth, Tracy, Nadine, and Company
* "(It's) Hairspray" - Corny and Council Members
* "Cooties" - Amber and Council Members
* "You Can't Stop the Beat" - Tracy, Link, Penny, Seaweed, Edna, Wilbur, Motormouth, Amber, Velma, and Company

According to Variety, Hairspray received 13 favorable and 4 mixed reviews. Charles Isherwood, in his Variety review 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 by Jack O'Brien with a common touch that stops short of vulgarity, 'Hairspray' is as sweet as a show can be without promoting tooth decay. ...[it] succeeds in recreating the pleasures of the old-fashioned musical comedy without seeming old-fashioned. ...Shaiman... is taking the infectious hooks and rhythms from period pop and R&B and translating them into the big, bouncy sound that Broadway demands.... And while the savvy arrangements... nod happily to Motown, Elvis, Lesley Gore ballads and standards like "Higher and Higher," the score's appeal isn't nostalgic. It's music that builds its own self-contained, improbably symmetrical world...." New York's Daily News wrote, "As Tracy, Marissa Jaret Winokur has the heft, the pipes and an enormously appealing stage presence. Her dancing may not be as special as the plot suggests, but she wins your heart... With this role, Fierstein places himself in the great line of Broadway divas."

Here are the words...

Now sing along...

There came a time in the life of Musical theatre, where it was cool to be sad. the best shows seemed to be the ones that could move you...to the point of depression. Hairspray is the exact opposite. It's fun, bouncy, lively and to top it all off, the music is awesome! If you're feeling a bit low, all you have to do is put the soundtrack on and a smile can't help but creep onto your face. this has to go down in history as one of the great feel good shows. Once you've met Tracy Turnblad, you can't help but be touched by her good humour and sunny outlook on life, and as her dreams start to come true, you can't help but root for the larger than life girl. I can't recommend this show enough.

Did you know...The Broadway version of Hairspray is based upon the John Waters film of the same title. Recently is 2007, a film musical was released, based on the stage musical version. So there has now been 3 generations of Hairspray...they all have slightly different storylines, but all have the same heart...it's all about Tracy Turnblad and her quest to dance.