Musical Hairspray on way to Yorkshire stage
You cannot stop the beat of the musical Hairspray all the way to the Yorkshire stage later this month.
Former Strictly Come Dancing pro Joanne Clifton plays the town vamp Velma Von Tussle and Neil Hurst dons the dress as Edna Turnblad.
Alexandra Emmerson-Kirby plays the effervescent optimist Tracy Turnblad and Soloman Davy is the love interest Link Larkin.
Casting also includes Michelle Ndegwa as Motormouth Maybelle, Declan Egan as Corny Collins and Allana Taylor as Amber Von Tussle.
The musical comedy features some of musical theatre’s best hit songs including Welcome To The 60s, You Can’t Stop The Beat and Good Morning Baltimore by Academy Award, Tony and Emmy winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
After breaking box office records and delighting audiences in the West End, on Broadway and on the big screen since 1988, the timeless story of Hairspray centres around heroine Tracy Turnblad.
She has big hair, a big heart, and big dreams to dance her way onto national TV, and into the heart of teen idol Link Larkin.
When Tracy becomes a local star, she is able to use her newfound fame to fight for liberation, tolerance, and interracial unity in Baltimore. But can she win equality – and Link’s heart – without denting her ’do?
Hairspray is a musical based on the 1988 film of the same name which starred Divine and Ricki Lake by cult filmmaker John Waters. With music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, Hairspray originally opened to rave reviews on Broadway in 2002 and subsequently won eight Tony Awards.
The production opened in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2007 and won four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. Proving to be an international success, Hairspray has also played in South Africa, Japan, South Korea, China and Dubai. Following the musical’s success on stage, a film of the musical was released in 2007 which starred John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Hairspray runs at the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, from Monday November 25 until Saturday November 30.