Hairspray

As Wilbur Turnblad says “you’ve gotta think big to be big”, and Scarborough Musicals thought BIG when they choose Hairspray as their 2015 project.  From Big Hair and Big Hearts to Big Songs and even Bigger Choreography, this show started with gusto and maintained pace through till the BIG finale of “You Can’t Stop the Beat”.  This show worked well for SM as it is a wonderful ensemble piece and enabled the large cast of around 40 to be involved from start to finish.  The group choreography was well-designed and tightly rehearsed to ensure the numbers flowed seamlessly from one to another.  Whilst the ensemble shone as a group, there were also some stand out performances within the principal line-up.  Credit must first be given to Kaya Hutchinson taking the lead role of Tracy Turnblad – she owned the role and the stage from start to finish.  Cara Hitchens playing Tracy’s best friend Penny Pingleton maintained her quirky characterisation beautifully. Paul Buttner and George Williams, Edna and Wilbur Turnblad respectively, developed a heart-warming relationship and their duet “You’re Timeless to Me” was indeed perfectly timed. Other musical numbers of note included the visually impressive “Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now” and the vocally impressive “I know where I’ve been”, the latter performed to perfection by Jessica Gardham as Motormouth Maybelle. Whilst all the onstage performances were impressive throughout, the other star of this show was the set design and construction, which worked perfectly within the limitations of the YMCA stage, all complimented by strong lighting and video design. The Orchestra was well rehearsed and worked hard from their onstage position and whilst on the first night there were a few balance issue with the sound, these didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the show, and I am sure they will have been quickly ironed out for the rest of the run.  A sell-out show for SM who rightly deserve all the praise and plaudits that will undoubtedly follow this stellar production. 

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