Hairspray (musical)

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Hairspray
Window card for the original production
Music Marc Shaiman
Lyrics Scott Wittman
Marc Shaiman
Book Mark O'Donnell
Thomas Meehan
Based upon 1988 film Hairspray
Productions 2002 Broadway
2005 Toronto
2006 Las Vegas
2005 Toronto
2006 Helsinki
2007 Tokyo
2007 West End
International productions
Awards Tony Award Best Musical
Tony Award Best Book
Tony Award Best Score
Drama Desk Outstanding Musical
Drama Desk Outstanding Book
Drama Desk Outstanding Music Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical

Hairspray is a 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 Hairspray. 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.

The musical'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

[edit] Background

According to interviews included as an extra feature on the 2007 film's DVD release, theatre producer Margo Lion first conceived of Hairspray as a stage musical in 1998 after seeing a television broadcast of the original film. She contacted John Waters, who gave her his blessing, then acquired the rights from New Line Cinema. Lion contacted Marc Shaiman, who expressed interest in the project only if his partner Scott Wittman could be included, and Lion agreed. The two submitted three songs - one of which, "Good Morning Baltimore," eventually became the show's opening number. Based on their initial work, Lion was confident that she had hired the right team.[1]

Lion contacted Rob Marshall about directing the musical. At the time he was involved in negotiations to direct the screen adaptation of Chicago, but he agreed to become involved in the early development stages of Hairspray with the stipulation he would drop out if assigned the film. Marshall remembered Marissa Jaret Winokur from her brief appearance in the film American Beauty and arranged a meeting with Shaiman and Wittman. The two immediately felt she was right for the role of Tracy Turnblad but were hesitant to commit without seeing any other auditions. They hired Winokur to work with them on the project with the understanding she might be replaced later. One year later, Winokur was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Certain she would lose the role if the creative team learned about her condition, she underwent chemotherapy and a hysterectomy without telling anyone but her immediate family. The treatment and surgery were successful, and Winokur returned to the project.[2] Meanwhile, Marshall had started work on Chicago, and Jack O'Brien and Jerry Mitchell were hired by Lion to direct and choreograph, respectively. Winokur was told she would need to audition along with hundreds of other women, but when the two men met her, they agreed she was right for the role.[citation needed]

Tracy's mother had been portrayed by Divine in the original film, and Shaiman liked the idea of maintaining the tradition of casting a male as Edna Turnblad. He suggested Harvey Fierstein based primarily on Fierstein's distinctive sounding voice, and O'Brien agreed.[citation needed]

According to Shaiman, one song, "I Know Where I've Been", became controversial during the genesis of the score:

"This was... inspired by a scene late in the [1988] movie that takes place on the black side of town. It never dawned on us that a torrent of protest would follow us from almost everyone involved with the show. 'It’s too sad.... It’s too preachy.... It doesn’t belong.... Tracy should sing the eleven o'clock number.' We simply didn’t want our show to be yet another show-biz version of a civil rights story where the black characters are just background. And what could be more Tracy Turnblad-like than to give the 'eleven o'clock number' to the black family at the heart of the struggle? Luckily... the audiences embraced this moment, which enriches the happy ending to follow, and it is our proudest achievement of the entire experience of writing Hairspray"[3]

[edit] Productions

After a tryout run at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre, the musical transferred to Broadway beginning on August 15, 2002 at the Neil Simon Theatre, where it is still running. In addition to Winokur and Fierstein, the cast featured Laura Bell Bundy and Kerry Butler. The sets were designed by David Rockwell, costumes by William Ivey Long; lighting by Kenneth Posner and the many distinctive wigs in the show by Paul Huntley.

The First U.S. national tour started in September 2003 in Baltimore and ended in June 2006. The touring production starred Carly Jibson as Tracy and Bruce Vilanch as Edna.[4] When the tour stopped in Los Angeles, Marissa Jaret Winokur reprised her role as Tracy, together with the original Broadway Link, Matthew Morrison.[5]

The first international production ran for 245 performances in Toronto in 2005 at the Princess of Wales Theatre. Vanessa Olivarez, a former American Idol contestant, starred as Tracy, and Jay Brazeau starred as Edna.[6]

A Las Vegas production ran at the Luxor Hotel in 2006 starring Katrina Rose Dideriksen as Tracy, with Harvey Fierstein and Dick Latessa reprising their roles as Edna and Wilbur Turnblad, respectively. This ninety-minute version was played in one act. Cut songs included "The Big Dollhouse", "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs", "Velma's Revenge", "Good Morning Baltimore (Reprise)", and "Cooties".[7]

In July 2006, a Non-Equity U.S. tour opened in Atlantic City's Harrah's Casino. The shorter "casino version" was used for this stop of the tour, but when it moved on, it continued with the full version of the show minus the character of Lorraine. The tour is scheduled to continue at least through June 2008.[8]

In 2007, Hairspray was adapted as a musical film starring Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad and John Travolta as Edna Turnblad.

The London West End production opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on October 11, 2007 for previews before its official opening on October 30. Michael Ball plays Edna, with Mel Smith as Wilbur Turnblad, newcomer Leanne Jones as Tracy, Tracie Bennett as Velma, Paul Manuel as Corny Collins, Rachel Wooding as Amber, Elinor Collett as Penny, and Ben James-Ellis as Link. The original creative team of the Broadway production, helmed by director Jack O'Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, reunited for the London production.[9] This production garnered a record-setting eleven Olivier Award nominations[10] and won for Best New Musical, as well as acting awards for Best Actress and Actor in a musical (Jones and Ball).[11]

The South African production opened in Johannesburg in October 2007 with the original direction and choreography re-created by Matt Lenz and Greg Graham, but the sets and costumes were new designs by Michael Bottari and Ronald Case. Other productions have opened in Canada, Finland, Japan, South Korea, and Italy. The Swiss/German-language premiere of Hairspray opened in St. Gallen, Switzerland at the Theater St. Gallen on March 15, 2008. A Brazilian production is slated to open later in the year, with another production in November in Manila, the Philippines, at the Star Theatre.[12]

A production in Argentina is scheduled for later in 2008 starring Enrique Pinti as Edna Turnblad. The role of Tracy was cast through a reality-competition show called I Want To Be Hairspray's Protagonist.[13] The musical is also scheduled to play in Shanghai, China at the Grand Theatre on July 5, 2008.[14] Other productions are planned for Israel, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. Hairspray has been translated into Finnish, Japanese, Korean, Italian, German, and Portuguese.

[edit] Synopsis

Setting: Baltimore, Maryland, 1962

Act 1

As "pleasantly plump" teenager Tracy Turnblad lies in bed, she muses about her love for her hometown, her love of dancing and desire to be famous ("Good Morning Baltimore"). After school, Tracy rushes home with best friend Penny to catch "The Nicest Kids in Town" on the local teen dance show, The Corny Collins Show. Edna, Tracy’s shy and plus-sized mother, is ironing and complains about the noise of the music coming from the television, while Penny's mother complains about it being race music. After an announcement that auditions for a place on the show will be held, Tracy pleads with her mother for permission to audition. Her mother, fearing that she will be laughed at due to her weight, refuses. Penny and Amber have similar arguments with their mothers ("Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now"). After gaining permission from her father, Tracy auditions for the show and bumps into teenage heartthrob, Link Larkin, which leads into a dream sequence ("I Can Hear the Bells"). Velma Von Tussle rejects Tracy from the audition because of her size ("(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs").

Back at school, Tracy’s inappropriately big hair earns her a detention. There she meets black dancer, Seaweed, who teachers her several dance moves. She uses the new dance steps at the Sophomore Hop the next day to introduce herself to the host of The Corny Collins Show, later integrating the moves into The Madison during the scene transition. Corny sees how good a dancer Tracy is and he gives her a place on the show ("The Nicest Kids in Town (Reprise)"). Corny offers the chance for Link to sing "It Takes Two" to Tracy and she quickly accepts, much to Amber's dismay. After the show, Mr. Spritzer, the show's sponsor who is afraid of controversy, appeals to Velma who threatens to fire Corny over Tracy's appointment to the Council, eventually leaving a distraught Velma determined to ruin Tracy ("Velma's Revenge"). At the Turnblad house, Edna is receiving calls from fans that saw Tracy on the show. A call comes in from Mr. Pinky of the plus size dress shop, Mr. Pinky’s Hefty Hideaway—Quality Clothes for Quantity Gals, for an endorsement. Tracy pleads with her mother to come with her and act as her agent even though Edna has not left their apartment in years. Finally making it outside, Edna is given a huge makeover, as she is told, "Welcome to the 60's". Tracy becomes the spokes-girl for the shop.

Signs of Tracy's fame are evident in the school yard, with graffiti on the walls and another Council Member sporting Tracy's signature 'do. Link comforts Tracy after a game of dodge ball in which Amber knocks Tracy out when she viciously throws the ball at her head. Penny and Seaweed, who have developed a liking for each other, return after having found the nurse out sick. Seaweed, suggesting some fun would make Tracy feel better, invites them all Motormouth Maybelle’s Record Shop for a platter party ("Run and Tell That"). At the shop, Tracy rallies everyone to march against the station because black people are not allowed on the show except for the once-a-month Negro Day. Link decides that he should not march, as it could jeopardize his career. As they march against the station, they are arrested ("Big, Blonde, and Beautiful").

Act 2

Almost all the women are now in "The Big Dollhouse." Velma and Amber Von Tussle are released and pardoned by the governor, and Wilbur, except for Tracy due to Velma’s dirty tactics, bails out the rest. Tracy is alone and wishes that Link could be with her ("Good Morning Baltimore (Reprise)"). At the Har-De-Har Hut, Wilbur and Edna are down and out because of all the money it cost them to bail everyone out and that Tracy is still in prison. Edna sympathizes with her daughter's dream – she had "dreamt of making her own line of queen size clothing". She and Wilbur reminisce about their past and how they can never be parted from each other ("(You're) Timeless to Me").

Tracy is now in solitary confinement where Link finds her. Penny is punished by her mother for going to jail without permission and is tied up in her bedroom where Seaweed comes to rescue her. Both couples declare their love for one another ("Without Love"). After escaping from their respective prisons, Tracy and Penny, accompanied by Link and Seaweed, seek refuge at Motormouth Maybelle’s Record Shop. Tracy thinks it is unfair that after all their hard work, The Corny Collins Show is still not integrated. They devise a plan to help Tracy win the Miss Teenage Hairspray, and Motormouth remembers their long fight for equality ("I Know Where I’ve Been").

On the day of the Miss Teenage Hairspray competition, Corny Collins starts the show with a song ("(It's) Hairspray"). Amber shows off her talents in a bid to get more votes from the viewers ("Cooties"). Tracy takes over the stage, just as the results are about to be announced, and is joined by Link, Penny (now transformed from drool to cool), Seaweed, Edna, Wilbur, Inez, and Motormouth ("You Can’t Stop the Beat"). Tracy is announced as the winner of the competition and declares The Corny Collins Show to be officially integrated. When all is announced, Mr. Spritzer runs on stage thrilled with the public's response to the telecast. The company invites Amber and Velma to join in the celebration.

[edit] Principal roles

Characters Description
Tracy Turnblad A cute, "pleasantly plump" teenager, who dreams of fame and fights to racially integrate The Corny Collins Show.
Edna Turnblad Tracy's kind, plus-sized mother – a drag role. Edna runs a laundry business out of her home.
Wilbur Turnblad Tracy's goofy father, who owns the Har-De-Har Hut joke shop and is still madly in love with his wife Edna. He encourages Tracy to go for her dream.
Link Larkin A teen heartthrob and one of The Corny Collins Show Council Members who comes to love Tracy.
Penny Pingleton Tracy's slightly dorky, devoted, and perky best friend.
Seaweed J. Stubbs A hip "Negro Day" dancer and the son of Motormouth Maybelle.
Motormouth Maybelle The owner of a downtown record shop and the host of "Negro Day" on The Corny Collins Show, who describes herself as "big, blonde and beautiful".
Corny Collins The eccentric and cocky host of The Corny Collins Show.
Velma Von Tussle Amber's scheming mother and producer of The Corny Collins Show, who pushes her daughter to seek the stardom that she never had.
Amber Von Tussle Velma's bratty and selfish daughter and the resident princess of The Corny Collins Show, despite a lack of talent. Willing to do anything to win the Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant.
Little Inez Seaweed's sister, who tries to audition for The Corny Collins Show but is turned away by Velma because she is black.

[edit] Musical numbers

Main article: Hairspray (2002 album)
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, Velma, Amber, Prudy, and Penny
  • "I Can Hear the Bells" – Tracy
  • "(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 and Tracy
  • "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" – Wilbur and Edna
  • "Without Love" – Link, Tracy, Seaweed, and Penny
  • "I Know Where I've Been" – Motormouth 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

†Not on the cast recording.

[edit] Additional songs

Several songs were cut from Hairspray during its pre-Broadway run in Seattle. One of such songs, an infomercial about safety on the road titled "Blood on the Pavement", followed "The Nicest Kids in Town". "Blood on the Pavement" was eventually discarded but was included on the cast album. Early on in the genesis of the show, the plot involved a "Miss Auto Show" competition instead of "Miss Teenage Hairspray", as in the 1988 film. In the place where "(It's) Hairspray" is now, there was a song called "Take a Spin" sung by Corny.[15] A song called "Step On Up" was also cut in favor of "I Know Where I've Been".[16] "The Mother-Daughter Cha-Cha-Cha" was another cut number that originally followed "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful". Later, the protest rally in the scene and the song itself were cut, and the rally was incorporated into "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful".[17] "No One On This TV Show", sung during Tracy's audition and dismissal, was cut and replaced by "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs", as the audience did not like seeing Tracy being verbally attacked after "I Can Hear The Bells".[18] After the auditions, there was a scene in the Har-De-Har Hut in which Wilbur had a song called "It Doesn't Get Better Than This". The song was later cut, and "Positivity" replaced it. In the later revisions, the scene and the song were cut altogether. In the scene, Wilbur tried to cheer up Tracy after her expulsion from The Corny Collins Show auditions.[19] After Tracy eventually made it on the show, there was a song called "The New Girl in Town", which was sung first by the African-American girls and then by the Council girls. Although cut from the musical, it was included in the 2007 movie and is used in the instrumental score during the show.[20]

[edit] Roles and cast

The original Broadway cast
Notable replacements on Broadway

[edit] Response

[edit] Critics

According to Variety, Hairspray received 13 favorable and 4 mixed reviews.[21] 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."[22] 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...."[23] 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."[24]

[edit] Box office and business

Hairspray opened with a $12 million advance; after the Tony Awards show (in June 2003), it was expected to do five times the business it normally did on a Monday.[25] The entire $10.5 million investment was recouped by May 2003 (approximately 9 months after its Broadway opening). [26] For 2002-03 it averaged 99% capacity; for 2007 it averaged 86 %.[27]

[edit] Awards and nominations

Tony Awards (winners unless otherwise noted)

Drama Desk Awards (winners unless otherwise noted)

  • Outstanding New Musical
  • Outstanding Book of a Musical
  • Outstanding Actor in a Musical
  • Outstanding Actress in a Musical
  • Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Dick Latessa)
  • Outstanding Director of a Musical
  • Outstanding Lyrics
  • Outstanding Music
  • Outstanding Costume Design
  • Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Corey Reynolds) (nominee)
  • Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Kerry Butler) (nominee)
  • Outstanding Choreography (nominee)
  • Outstanding Orchestrations (nominee)
  • Outstanding Set Design of a Musical (nominee)

Theatre World Award

  • Jackie Hoffman (winner)
  • Marissa Jaret Winokur (winner)

Critics' Circle Theatre Awards (2007)[28]

  • Best Musical (winner)
  • Most Promising Newcomer – Leanne Jones (The Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer)

Olivier Award

  • Best New Musical (winner)
  • Best Actress in a Musical (Leanne Jones) (winner)
  • Best Actor in a Musical (Michael Ball) (winner)
  • Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Tracie Bennett, Elinor Collett) (nominee)
  • Best Director (O'Brien) (nominee)
  • Best Theatre Choreographer (Mitchell) (nominee)
  • Best Lighting Design (Kenneth Posner) (nominee)
  • Best Set Design (David Rockwell) (nominee)
  • Best Costume Design (William Ivey Long) (nominee)
  • Best Sound Design (Steve C. Kennedy) (nominee)

Evening Standard Awards (2007)[29][30]

  • Best New Musical (winner)

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ New York Times article, Robin Pogrebin, October 16, 2002
  2. ^ undated interview
  3. ^ The Roots, p. 142
  4. ^ playbill article, July 22, 2003
  5. ^ "Hairspray Teases LA" (BroadwayWorld)
  6. ^ Information about the 2005 Toronto production
  7. ^ Interview with Marc Shaiman on 90 Minute version
  8. ^ Official U.S. tour website
  9. ^ "Hairspray Begins London Run" Oct. 11, (playbill) 10/11/07
  10. ^ playbill.com article, Feb. 6, 2008, London Hairspray Breaks Record With 11 Olivier Award Nominations
  11. ^ Official London Theatre article, March 9, 2008
  12. ^ Hairspray in Manila
  13. ^ (Spanish)Lágrimas y aplausos para quien será Tracy. La Nación (2008-05-11). Retrieved on 2008-05-15.
  14. ^ Hairspray China Website
  15. ^ The Roots, p. 149
  16. ^ The Roots, pp. 142-43
  17. ^ The Roots, p. 109
  18. ^ The Roots, p. 59
  19. ^ The Roots, p. 62
  20. ^ http://www.zipcon.net/~beckyd/writing3.php?i=5th-hairspray-synopsis Review of Hairspray during its pre-Broadway run
  21. ^ Variety, September 23, 2002 - September 29, 2002, "Critics' Taly" [sic], Legit., p. 88
  22. ^ Variety, August 16, 2002, p. 2
  23. ^ New York Times, Ben Brantley, August 16, 2002, Section E, Part 1, Column 1
  24. ^ Kissel, Howard. New York Daily News, August 16, 2002, p. 55
  25. ^ playbill.com article, June 9, 2003
  26. ^ playbill.com article, May 30, 2003
  27. ^ broadwayworld grosses for Hairspray
  28. ^ playbill.com article, Jan. 29, 2008
  29. ^ playbill.com article, Nov. 27, 2007
  30. ^ [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23423324-details/Evening+Standard+Theatre+Awards+-+the+winners/article.do thisislondon article, Evening Standard winners, Novemer 28, 2007]

[edit] References

O'Donnell, Mark, Thomas Meehan, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Hairspray: The Roots (2003) Faber & Faber ISBN 0571211437

[edit] External links

Awards
Preceded by
Urinetown
by Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis		 Tony Award for Best Original Score
2003
by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman		 Succeeded by
Avenue Q
by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx
Preceded by
Urinetown
by Greg Kotis		 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical
2003
by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan		 Succeeded by
Avenue Q
by Jeff Whitty
v • d • e
Tony Award for Best Musical

The Producers (2001) · Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002) · Hairspray (2003) · Avenue Q (2004) · Monty Python's Spamalot (2005) · Jersey Boys (2006) · Spring Awakening (2007)
v • d • e
Olivier Award for Best New Musical

A Chorus Line (1976) · The Comedy of Errors (1977) · Evita (1978) · Songbook (1979) · Sweeney Todd (1980) · Cats (1981) · Poppy (1982) · Blood Brothers (1983) · 42nd Street (1984) · Me and My Girl (1985) · The Phantom of the Opera (1986) · Follies (1987) · Candide (1988) · Return to the Forbidden Planet (1989) · Return to the Forbidden Planet (1990) · Sunday in the Park with George (1991) · Carmen Jones (1992) · Crazy for You (1993) · City of Angels (1994) · Once on This Island (1995) · Jolson The Musical (1996) · Martin Guerre (1997) · Beauty and the Beast (1998) · Kat and the Kings (1999) · Honk! (2000) · Our House (2003) · Jerry Springer: The Opera (2004) · The Producers (2005) · Billy Elliot (2006) · Caroline, or Change (2007) · Hairspray (2008)
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