Alex Bourne, Brenda Edwards and Norman Pace will be hitting the high notes in Hairspray when the UK and Ireland tour relaunches at Plymouth Theatre Royal on 24 June 2021.
Bourne (Annie, Mamma Mia!) will step into the distinctive high hair and high heels of Edna Turnblad opposite comedy star Pace (Chicago, The Rocky Horror Show) who returns to the role of Wilbur Turnblad with former X-Factor finalist turned musical theatre star and TV ‘loose woman’ Edwards (Chicago, We Will Rock You) also returning as Motormouth Maybelle.
They will be joined by Katie Brace who will make her professional stage debut as Tracy Turnblad with Rebecca Thornhill as Velma, Richard Meek as Corny Collins, Ross Clifton as Link Larkin, Jessica Croll as Amber, Rebecca Jane Davies as Penny and Charlotte St. Croix as Little Inez.
The cast will also include: Elizabeth Armstrong, Bernadette Bangura, Natalia Brown, Shaquille Brush, Liam Dean, Andrew Dillion, Amandla Elynah, Zoe Heighton, Ceris Hine, Paul Hutton, Jamie Jonathan, Hayley Johnston, Joshua Nkemdilim, Rosie O’Hare, Alexanda O’Reilly, Joshua Pearson, Joseph Poulton and Elliotte Williams-N’Dure.
Originally due to begin performances in August last year, Mark Goucher and Matthew Gale’s third major UK and Ireland tour of their successful version of the hit musical Hairspray will follow its opening run in Plymouth by visiting the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre; the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton; Manchester’s Palace Theatre; Sheffield Lyceum; Ipswich Regent Theatre; Aylesbury Waterside Theatre; Liverpool Empire; The Alhambra Theatre in Bradford; Brighton Theatre Royal; Birmingham Hippodrome; Leicester Curve; Nottingham Theatre Royal; Wolverhampton Grand Theatre; Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre; the Grand Opera House Belfast; New Victoria Theatre, Woking; Milton Keynes Theatre and Blackpool Grand Theatre. The 2022 section of the tour will begin at the Sunderland Empire followed by Wycombe Swan, Royal and Derngate Northampton, Bromley’s Churchill Theatre, Cardiff New Theatre, Edinburgh Playhouse, The Orchard Theatre, Dartford and Glasgow King’s Theatre. Further 2022 dates are to be announced.
Directed by Paul Kerryson, the show has choreography by Drew McOnie, musical direction by Ben Atkinson, set and costume design by takis, lighting design by Philip Gladwell and sound design by Ben Harrison.
Based on cult filmmaker John Waters’ 1988 film which starred Divine and Ricki Lake, Hairspray boasts music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan.
With Harvey Fierstein starring as Edna, Hairspray debuted to rave reviews on Broadway in 2002 and subsequently won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and the leading actor award for Fierstein.
Premiering in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2007, the show won four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical and the Best Actor Award for Michael Ball.
The touring production featuring direction by Kerryson and choreography by McOnie launched at Leicester Curve in 2015, and returned in 2017 for a second successful tour which ended in August 2018.
Hairspray is one of two major touring productions from Goucher’s independent production company returning this summer with the support of the UK Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund. Goucher and first-time producer Jason Donovan are also due to bring their crowd-pleasing production of hit musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert back for a number of tour dates from 23 June ahead of a hoped-for West End return.
Angela Thomas
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