Tuesday 26 October 2021

THEATRE REVIEW: Hairspray - The Palace Theatre, Manchester.


The Musical, 'Hairspray', is a little bit different from most mainstream musicals. Yes, it has all the razzmatazz, the bright and colourful costumes, the catchy dance numbers, the larger-than-life characters etc; but it also has a very serious message - and what's even more unbelievable is that the Musical is set in 1962, and that message is still relevant today.

Baltimore, USA, in 1962, is a city of division. One where white privilege is everywhere and blacks are segregated, and no more so than in the TV industry. Sound familiar? Cue to Tracy Turnblad, a young white teenager from a poor neighbourhood with dreams of stardom. There is one thing standing in her way of that dream however... she is fat. Yes, that's something else that the TV producers don't want to show; only slender, pretty and "marketable". Again, sound familiar? However, through a quirk of fate, the TV company hold open auditions for a new dancer on their teenage heart-throb show, and yes, you've guessed it, everyone (except for the TV execs themselves) love her and her bubbliness. Using her new found fame as a springboard, she crusades for equal rights in TV and with the help of one or two of her friends (and a jail sentence in between) ends up with a TV show and production company which is fully integrated where blacks and whites dance together regardless of their shape, size, and ethnicity. 

Tracy Turnblad this evening was played with gusto and zeal by Katie Brace who was making her professional debut... and boy what a debut it was! Her parents Wilbur and Edna were played by Norman Pace and Alex Bourne respectively. - it is a tradition in this musical that her mother is played by a rather large and butch man. The pair worked excellently together and thier duet in act 2, "You're Timeless To Me" was a highlight. The entire cast was wonderful and superbly chosen, their triple-threat abilities being showcased wonderfully by some high-kicking choreography (Drew McOnie), lovely harmonies, and solid characterisations. I would say though that from an audience's perspective it was impossible to believe that Rebecca Thornhill (Velma) was a mother to Jessica Croll (Amber); they looked too similar an age on stage. However, the biggest spine-tingling and bravura performance came, without a doubt, from Brenda Edwards as Motormouth Maybelle. Her rendition of, "I Know Where I've Been" was, in a word, incredible!

Paul Kerryson's direction was tight, imaginative, and full of fun. Tiny, almost unseen, moments of comedy happening in amongst the ensemble roles during the songs etc, which could have upstaged the main performer but somehow didn't, instead ameliorating the whole ensemble feel and message of the show. I really enjoyed that. And the idea of using archive photographs on the rear screen to bring the story more to life and focus, was a superb one. For me though, this wasn't signposted quite enough; the photos and images came but they were more subliminal than 'actual' - perhaps that was Kerryson's intention. 

This is your ultimate 'feel-good' Musical with real heart and a powerful message, delivered with just the right amount of pizzazz! Go see it!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 25.10.21

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