Hairspray (UK Tour)
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Reviewed on the 26th June 2018 by Freddie Lee
During the final song, everyone got up and started dancing which shows that this is for anyone and everyone and that people love it. Even as I was on the train home, two people sat next to me were still discussing the show which is a testament as to how good it is and the impact left on you as you leave the theatre.
Hairspray is a deemed as being another modern classic musical with music by Marc Shaiman, and follows the story of Tracy Turnblad, hoping to make it big on television. Intertwined with the story of Tracy, it shows segregation in 1960s America and the fight for equality and to dance on The Corny Collins Show everyday.
In the opening number, Good Morning Baltimore, Tracy Turnblad played by Rosie O'Hare bursts onto stage with lots of enthusiasm declaring she is going to make it big on television someday. I did like her portrayal as the bubbly young girl as it is captivating right from the beginning but I believe there is some depth to the character which I did not see from her portrayal. Vocally, she was good especially in songs like Big, Blonde and Beautiful and I Can Hear The Bells but again I would have liked some more power to these songs.
In The Nicest Kids In Town, we meet Amber Von Tussle, Link Larkin as well as the rest of the kids in the TV Show. Amber was played by Gemma Lawson who I liked but she came across a bit too old to play the role however she was brilliant at playing the spoilt girl but her voice was good and she had a good connection with Dan Partridge who played Link Larkin. I really enjoyed his portrayal of Link as he was very sensitive and caring especially in scenes in the second half with Tracy. Also, he was good at playing the 'bad boy' and his rendition of It Takes Two was superb.
One of my favourite characters by far was Velma Von Tussle played expertly by Lucinda Lawrence because she in my opinion, was perfect in everyway. I adored her performance of Miss Baltimore Crabs simply because it was hilarious and in some ways very sassy and bold. My other favourite character was Motormouth Maybelle played by Brenda Edwards because her voice was brilliant and her belt in Big, Blonde and Beautiful was phenomenal. I can't fault her performance because it was amazing.
Special mentions have to go to Shak Gabbidon-Williams as Seaweed because his voice and performance was so strong and it is a hard but brilliant character to play. Also to Matt Rixon as Edna Turnblad and Graham Macduff because in You're Timeless To Me, one of the props didn't work and they did so well to not let that faulter their performance and they made some really funny jokes which was hilarious for the audience.
Also choreography by Drew McOnie was amazing especially in big ensemble numbers like You Can't Stop The Beat and The Madison however I did sometimes feel like the ensemble could be used a bit more as there was a lot of potential for them to be used in certain parts of the show. The set design by Takis was simplistic and worked to an extent however I would have liked some more set pieces as well as the use of a projector but I did like the use of the sliding panels on both sides of the stage.
Overall, I think Hairspray is an amazing show and with some tweaks in certain places I believe it would be phenomenal. It is packed full of uplfiting and energetic songs and dances and tells you that 'You have to dream big, to be big.'
Hairspray is playing at Newcastle Theatre Royal until the 30th June before continuing its UK and Ireland Tour.
More information about the show can be found here.
Follow me elsewhere:
Twitter - @fltheatreblog
Instagram - @freddiee.lee
E-mail for press enquiries - freddieelee@gmail.com
**No copyright infringement intended. All credits go to the photographer and production team.**
