REVIEW: Hairspray the Musical brought the house down at Theatre Royal, Nottingham
A very Good Morning — or evening as was opening night — was had by all as a hit touring musical came to Nottingham’s Theatre Royal last night (Monday).
The 2024/25 major tour of Hairspray the Musical’ is showing at the theatre until November 9, and it was one of the best shows this seasoned theatre goer had ever seen.
The show sees young Tracy Turnblad (Alexandra Emmerson-Kirkby), a curvy and kind-hearted girl who has big dreams of being a famous performer in 1962 Baltimore supported by her larger-than-life mother Edna (Neil Hurst) and father Wilbur (Stuart Hickey).
After landing an audition for TV dance show, The Corny Collins Show, Tracy is rejected by the show’s producer Velma von Tussle (Kirsty Sparks) for being overweight.
But after being spotted dancing the next day with kids in detention, including hugely talented Seaweed (Jaiden Lodge) by Corny Collins himself (Declan Egan), she lands a spot dancing on the show and falls in love with dancer Link Larkin (Olly Manley), who is dating Velma’s equally nasty daughter Amber (Allana Taylor).
But among all this Tracy’s desire to end racial segregation after finding out that people of colour are only allowed on the show one day a month, and campaigns with members of the black community to bring about equality.
The show’s iconic opening number ‘Good Morning Baltimore’ instantly transported the audience into the 1960s with their vintage dance number, and Alexandra is simply brilliant as idealistic Tracy, with powerhouse vocals and fantastic dance moves, and her likeable charm and passion has the audience rooting for her every step of the way.
The von Tussle mother and daughter duo give off brilliant ‘Mean Girls’ vibes as the villains of the piece, and special props to Neil and Stuart as Edna and Wilbur respectively, as their adorable but cheeky love song You’re Timeless to Me had the audience in stitches.
Michelle Ndegwa brought such heart and power to Motormouth Maybelle, Seaweed’s mother and the mother figure of the black community, and young Katlo is brilliant as his sister Little Inez, bringing plenty of energy and charisma to her character.
All of the singing was note perfect and dancing inch perfect, and the whole audience was bopping along to the show’s smash closing number ‘You Can’t Stop The Beat’.
The key messages of Hairspray — bringing an end to racial segregation, believing in yourself, standing up to bullies, and chasing your dreams — are just as valid today as they were back when the show first took to the stage in 2002 off the back of the 1988 movie, and I can’t recommend it enough.
