Hairspray, the musical comedy with a book by Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman and music by Marc Shaiman, has landed at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport, NY for a run that started on July 7, 2011 and lasts through August 28, 2011. This well written show was a darling of Broadway from 2002 to 2009 and continues to be a gem after its 40-mile move east from Broadway to Northport.
For those unfamiliar with the plot, Hairspray, the musical, is based on the 1988 movie of the same name by John Waters. It is a story of an overweight teen, Tracy Turnblad, that takes place in Baltimore during 1962. Tracy sets her sights on becoming a dancer on a local TV dance show and dating the heartthrob Link Larkin. Along her journey, she also takes on the issue of integration. Suffice to say that everything works out in the end, but the result is not the prize, the journey that you witness is.
On the good side, Hairspray director Paul Stancato has assembled an all-star cast with especially outstanding performances from Felicia Finley (Velma Von Tussle), Terita R. Redd (Motormouth Maybelle) and Eric Lajuan Summers (Seaweed J. Stubbs). Other performances to watch out for come from Nick Dalton (Corny Collins), Ashley Moniz (Amber Von Tussle) and Alex Michael Stoll (Link Larkin).
Antoinette DiPietropolo's choreography keeps you bouncing in your seat with the great catchy Shaiman tunes that will be heard around the world for many years to come. The Engeman Theater is a converted movie theater that presents logistical challenges for live theater, but those issues were not evident by the creative and colorful sets and costumes by Michael Bottari and Ronald Case.
This production is not without its flaws. At the performance I attended there was little chemistry at the core of this production: Danielle Arci (Tracy Turnblad), William Thomas Evans (Edna Turnblad) and Bruce Rebold (Wilbur Turnblad). While individually each of these performers are top-notch, the heart and soul of the Turnblad family's love for one another was missing.
If you are a theater lover who lives on Long Island, you owe it to yourself to get to Northport and have an enjoyable evening of professional theater.
Following video courtesy of MyLITV.com: John W. Engeman Theater Presents: Hairspray
Following video courtesy of YouTube: Hairspray Sizzles at the John W. Engeman Theater at Northport. Video Production by Bobby Munster
