Hairspray continues at the Waterside Theatre, Ayelsbury until 11 September 2021 and then tours until 2 April 2022.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
It’s the first show at Aylesbury Waterside since before the pandemic hit and heartbreakingly forced many of our theatres to shut. With the doors now fully open, what better way to welcome back the crowds than with the jumping and jiving Hairspray.
Bursting onto the stage loud and proud, the show is full of colourful costumes, bouncing music and joyful characters. We follow the journey of Tracy Turnblad (Katie Brace), the larger-than-life character with hair as big as her personality, as she makes it her mission to dance her way onto national television. Covering hard-hitting topics of racial segregation, societal expectations and image, under the glitz, Hairspray delivers important messages.
The performance is propelled by its infectious soundtrack of 1960s-inspired songs, which are impossible not to enjoy. From the iconic ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’ to the opening number, ‘Good Morning Baltimore’, each track is accompanied by the incredible band directed by Ben Atkinson.
Like the sequins on the dazzling costumes, the characters make the show sparkle with their unique charm. Not dissimilar to a pantomime, there’s clear heroes and villains, but all are entertaining and work together to make this fun-filled, laugh-a-minute musical. It’s difficult to pick out a specific star of the show, as the entire cast – from Brace as Tracy and Brenda Edwards as Motormouth to the flawless ensemble – performs impeccably with every note and dance move hitting the beat.
However, particular praise must be bestowed to Alex Bourne and Norman Pace as Edna and Wilbur Turnblad, who as a duo produced the most laughs. Their hilarious rendition of ‘You’re Timeless to Me’ was my highlight and from the crowd’s applause, I believe it was a firm favourite with the audience too. Bourne and Pace perfectly complement each other’s characters, even generating smirks and chuckles between them from effortless ad-libs.
Finally, the incredible set and costumes (takis) must be praised for adding even more colour and glitter to the show, helping to bring this high-spirited performance of Hairspray to life. Congratulations Aylesbury Waterside on a great opening show – it’s good to have you back!
Hannah Grimmette
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