Hairspray

Featuring a large cast with many featured roles and ensembles, this is a show with immense appeal to youthful audiences as was clear from good houses throughout its run at the Kings Theatre, Glasgow. I attended on the Friday evening performance and these notes reflect the cast for that show. The oversize female lead Tracy Turnblad was played by a zestful Colby Reid while Blair Cruikshank (in drag) gave an equally spirited performance as Tracy’s mother Edna. Susan Kernohan took the role of the brash and scheming Velma von Tussle, producer of The Corny Collins Show and mother of the somewhat untalented Amber von Tussle (Kirsten McLean) with the talented Martyn Agnew cast as the eccentric Corney Collins. Greg Robertson was well chosen as the teenagers’ heartthrob Link Larkin. Joy Maria Onotu played the part of Motormouth Maybelle, owner of a downtown record shop and a host on the Corny Collins Show while Omonuwa Iredia played her son the dancer Seaweed J Stubbs. Lucy Frimpong took the role of Little Inez, Seaweed’s younger sister, Kevin McGuire gave an amusing portrayal of Wilbur Turnblad, Tracy’s rather potty father and Alastair McCall hovered about as the justly nervous sponsor of the show.
The story is brash and moves quickly from scene to scene with the tension and interest maintained by the plotting and counter-plotting of the rival groups for places on the Council and in the Miss Teenage Hairspray Competition. The cast included the other principals and the featured groups being The Corny Collins Dancers and Council Members, a troupe of six special dancers, the Dynamites Trio and the Ensemble. The music was particularly special and the eleven musicians (with three keyboards) must have used the original (or near original) score with stunning success.

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