By Lilah Wimbish, Courier Staff Writer
Based on the Tony Award-winning broadway musical, “Hairspray Live!” tells the story of a plus -sized teenage girl, Tracy Turnblad, wanting to dance on her local TV program,”The Corny Collins Show”. The plot of the story takes place in Baltimore during the sixties. Even when all odds are against Tracy, she instantly wins a role in the show and becomes a local celebrity overnight. Tracy comes in contact with a wide array of people from the shows dreamboat, Link. She meets a spoiled mean girl named Amber, and an African American boy who shows Tracy a new world and his mother, Motormouth Maybelle, who owns a local record store and hosts “The Corny Collins show” on the controversial negro day. Tracy’s mother, Edna Turnblad, encourages Tracy to integrate the all-white “Corny Collins show”.
“Hairspray Live!” stars newcomer Maddie Baillio as Tracy Turnblad, and other celebrities such as Dove Cameron, Derek Hough, Kristin Chenoweth, Garrett Clayton, Harvey Fierstein, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Martin Short, Ephraim Sykes and Shahadi Wright, with special by Billy Eichner, Sean Hayes, Andrea Martin, and Rosie O’Donnell.
The live event had amazing performances choreographed by Jerry Mitchell and music/lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Jaw-dropping performances were showcased, such as Jennifer Hudson’s soulful scene-stealing performance of, “I Know Where I’ve Been” and group numbers like “Mama I’m a Big Girl Now” and “Without Love.”
“Hairspray Live!” was a fun and entertaining musical event. Issues and problems that the character portrayed such as racism and body confidence seemed to be very relevant to the audience. Hairspray may have taken place in the ‘60s but nearly 10 years later, the story line still makes you feel fabulous and tells us that change and unity is truly possible.
