It was just over a year ago that the Hairspray National tour came through town running at the Orpheum in January 2023. Due to the opening night of this run, at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts this time, being cancelled thus shortening the run, I am reusing some elements from my previous review, particularly the plot synopsis. I had a blast last winter and I had an equally great time this… shall we call it spring? The show packs an important message about acceptance on multiple fronts utilizing the techniques pioneered by Mary Poppins they add some sugar to make the lesson seem like fun. This is such a big hearted show, the ignorant and hateful characters are very blunt, but they are the minority, the majority just don’t seem to see with eyes of hate. Is that realistic for Baltimore in 1962 where and when the musical takes place? No. But the characters also break into song and dance around a lot so I’m guessing it’s meant to be a bit of a fantasy. This is a show that is meant to entertain you with toe tappin’ music, some fabulous footwork, and a whole lot of humor and on those terms it is wildly successful. If they sneak a little reminder in there that it doesn’t matter what we look like on the outside it’s what’s on the inside that counts, well good for them. I can’t think of a simpler or more important message to send out into the world. I just wonder at a world, that needs to be told that.
Hairspray follows Tracy Turnblad who dreams of being one of the dancers on the Corny Collins Show, a local TV program that features kids dancing to the latest pop chart songs. When an opening on the show becomes available, Tracy skips school with her friend Penny in order to audition, against her mother Edna’s wishes. The resident Teen Diva Amber Von Tussle who is the daughter of the shows producer Velma Von Tussle, ridicules Tracy over her weight and she’s refused the chance to audition. Back in school during detention she strikes up a friendship with Seaweed, a black student and son of Motormouth Maybelle who hosts the “Negro Day” on The Corny Collins Show and bond over dance moves. When Corny Collins comes to their high school for the Sophomore Hop, Tracy wows him with the dance moves she’s learned from Seaweed and he awards her a spot on his show. After her first broadcast, not only has she fallen in love with Link Larkin the resident teen heartthrob, and Amber’s boyfriend, but she becomes a local celebrity. Tracy’s dream was to become a dancer on the show but she also wants to integrate the broadcast so that the black and white kids can all dance together. Her success leads her mother to reassess whether or not there’s a place for people of her and Tracy’s size out in the world. They deal with some fairly heavy issues, race, being marginalized due to weight, self esteem, corruption, hell nearly every woman in it winds up behind bars at one point, but they do it with humor and optimism. It’s Tracy’s heart that never stops fighting for what is right that changes everyone around her.
Caroline Eiseman makes a great Tracy, her vocals get drowned out by a slightly off balance sound mix, which did seem to improve as the night progressed. One thing that couldn’t be drowned out were her dance moves and her infectious can do attitude, both of which win over her fellow characters as well as the audience. As Tracy’s mother Edna we have Greg Kalafatas following in the long tradition of the character being played by a man in drag. This dates back to Hairspray’s roots the 1988 John Waters film in which the role was played by the Divine (Harris Glen Milstead) who sadly passed away less than two weeks after that films release. It’s a character full of insecurities who grows in her own confidence as she watches her daughter carry on in the face of ignorance. The character is used for comic relief, but she also contains a lot of what is beautiful about the entire show. A willingness to change and a capacity to love. Kalafatas handles both aspects wonderfully, know when to be funny and knowing when to show a little bit of vulnerability. You may have noticed that the photo I chose doesn’t highlight Tracy, that’s not because she isn’t the focus of the show, she is . But I wanted to highlight Deidre Lang because her performance as Motormouth Maybelle, though supporting, was exceptional. Her rallying of the kids to not give up after their first setback which ends with her song “I Know Where I’ve Been” is a show stopper. Her vocals are simply incredible, and you suddenly wish she had three other solo songs in the show. Another favorite in a show full of great dances, choreographed by Robbie Roby, was Josiah Rogers as Seaweed, that man has some moves. His love interest Penny was also a favorite character thanks to the performance by Scarlett Jacques, whose got fantastic comic timing.
Hairspray runs through March 17th at the Ordway Center For Performing Arts in St Paul. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://ordway.org/events/hairspray/ . Due to the cancellation of the planned opening night performance the remainder of the run has limited availability. I urge you not to wait to get tickets, it could very well sell out.
Don’t want to miss a single review from The Stages of MN? You can subscribe and have every post sent directly to your email. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/
I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by my colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . We post biweekly longer form episodes that will focus on interviews and discussions around theater topics. There is also shorter episodes in which we Bloggers tell you what we think you should get out and see as well as what we have on our schedules that we are most looking forward too.
The Stages of MN 
You must be logged in to post a comment.