One of the first shows I saw on Broadway in New York City was Hairspray back in the early 2000’s. It was before the movie musical of the same name had been created. I just happened to be seated next to Jerry Stiller, who must have been scoping out the play to see what it was about before taking on the role of Mr. Pinky, of the infamous Mr. Pinky’s Hefty Hideaway, for the movie that would come out the following year. A pretty cool experience to get to talk to him and a fabulous musical to get to see live.

After I saw the production, I absolutely loved it. It was a fantastic show. I was thrilled they made it into the movie musical, and even more excited to realize that Jerry Stiller was in it and that he clearly was doing research when he saw it the same time I did. The movie has quickly become a family favorite and the music is in frequent rotation in my favorite Broadway tunes on Spotify.

You can imagine how excited I was to know that Hairspray was a part of the Broadway at the Eccles 2022-2023 Broadway season and that I would get to see it live once again in Salt Lake City.

Performing at the Eccles Theatre April 11th-April 16th, 2023, this is a don’t miss kind of show. From the second the curtain is raised to the finale, you will be hooked. In fact, I will admit, sometimes when you see a musical, portions of it can drag a bit. This is not that kind of musical, whatsoever. The story follows Baltimore teen, Tracy Turnblad, played by the exceptional Niki Metcalf, navigating life in the early 1960’s. She dreams of dancing on Baltimore’s extremely popular “The Corny Collins Show” and getting the up and coming heartthrob Link Larkin to notice her, and is accompanied on her adventures by her best friend, Penny, played by the very charming Emery Henderson. Despite many obstacles and prejudices, her dreams start coming true. But as she starts achieving her dreams, she realizes there are more important things to be a part of and fight for.

The show is very light hearted, despite some heavy themes, and is extremely heart-warming. They did a terrific job casting the show and you will love watching all the characters evolve through the story. Always the most dynamic role of the show is Edna Turnblad, and this touring production did not disappoint with the role of Edna being portrayed by Andrew Levitt (AKA Nina West, whom you may have seen in several tv shows, but I recognized from Weird: The Al Yankovic Story). He had the audience rolling! The music is really just so much fun and you will find yourself wanting to sing and dance along. Everyone who left the theater had a great big smile on their face. 

While I had seen the show live almost twenty years ago and the movie musical so many times that I might be able to perform it solo and without cues, this National Tour of Hairspray still had lots of new variations to it, keeping it very fresh and fun. It was an absolute blast to see live and I highly recommend it to you. Grab your own tickets now to go see it while it is still in Salt Lake City!

“If life were everything it should be, it would be more like HAIRSPRAY. It’s irresistible!” – The New York Times

You Can’t Stop the Beat! HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon is back on tour! Join 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad in 1960’s Baltimore as she sets out to dance her way onto TV’s most popular show. Can a girl with big dreams (and even bigger hair) change the world?

Featuring the beloved score of hit songs including “Welcome to the 60’s,” “Good Morning Baltimore” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” HAIRSPRAY is “fresh, winning, and deliriously tuneful!” (The New York Times).

This all-new touring production reunites Broadway’s award-winning creative team led by Director Jack O’Brien and Choreographer Jerry Mitchell to bring HAIRSPRAY to a new generation of theater audiences. The HAIRSPRAY company is led by Andrew Levitt aka Nina West (from “RuPaul’s Drag Race”) as Edna Turnblad.

Don’t miss this “exhilaratingly funny and warm-hearted musical comedy” (The New Yorker).

You can learn more about Hairspray, Broadway Across America and the remaining 2022-2023 Broadway at the Eccles season, as well as the upcoming 2023-2024 Broadway at the Eccles season by visiting them online.

^{*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are my own*}