“Hairspray”

***** While I must admit, Highland Park High School’s theater is not the greatest place to see a lavish production, the performance we saw tonight of “hairspray”- the Broadway Musical, based on the film written and directed by John Waters, with a book by Mark O’Donnell & Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman is top-notch and one that is not to be missed. Directed by Tor Campbell, who also did the choreography, the stage is utilized to perfection. With a full orchestra in the “pit”, leaving a rail, Campbell, uses this rail for dances, songs and bits in order to cover the scene changes going on and keeping the momentum just right.

I know from my own experiences of directing and casting, finding the right talent is not easy, but somehow this company continues to find local talent that fits the roles as they were meant to be. Tracy Turnblad ( a wonderful portrayal by Grace Hall) is the “hero” of this story. For those unfamiliar with the story, Tracy is a middle of the road, heavy-set teen who loves to dance and wants nothing more than to be a dancer on “The Corny Collins” show. This is the 1960’s, Baltimore and if one can remember, TV was black & white, but dance shows were not. All the teens we saw on these shows were the perfect ones. Nice complexions, dressed well and of course great hair. The show is sponsored by a hairspray company ( thus the name).

From the opening number “Good Morning Baltimore” where we first meet Tracey, one gets the feeling that this will be a fun experience and it not only met my expectations, it exceeded them! Tracy’s parents, Edna ( an amazing performance by Scott Spector- yes, this role is played by a man, and was written to be so) and Wilbur ( the adorable Corey Mills) are kind of plain people with no inkling of what their daughter truly dreams. They are content with just being happy.

Tracy’s best friend. Penny (deftly handled by Lily Ramras) will follow her anywhere, and Penny’s mother Prudy ( Erin Kelley) is quite a character. Prudy’s best scenes come when she is trying to dissuade her daughter from being with Seaweed Stubbs ( played to perfection by Ajene Cooks), a Negro. Another part of this story is integration, and it is told very well. The dance show is very segregated, with the exception of one day per month when they have “Negro Day”, featuring Motormouth Maybelle ( a powerful performance by Sharon Miles, who got a standing ovation when she performed “I Know Where I’ve Been”).

The ensemble is terrific, each one handling their roles as if they were not performing, but being themselves. Ethan Lupp is a wonderful Corny Collins ( side note: his dad, Andrew , who many might remember from Marriott Theatre, was sitting to my left, and was in heaven watching his son work), Rebecca Mactaggart is Amber Von Tussle who along with her mother, Velma ( played as nasty as written by Emma Jean Eastlund) and Link, who becomes Tracy’s love interest is well played by Abraham Deitz-Green. There is also a wonderful performance by A’mia Imani as Little Inez Stubbs- remember this name, because you will be seeing more of her- what a talent!

On the technical side, the set (Bob Knuth) was quite modern using projections ( Larry Hueterman) with craftsmanship. It worked and with the actors choreographed to move items, there were no hesitations between scenes. The flow was flawless. The lighting (Joel Zishuk), Costumes (Ben Kress) and wigs/makeup( Hannah Andruss) were all perfect and the props, of which there were many cans of aerosol by Carol Lee Wax, divine. The orchestra conducted by Aaron Kaplan ( who must be the busiest musician on the North Shore) was flawless, never overpowering the cast. This show could play for a long period, but sorry to say, you only have a short time.

The “Hairspray” Performance Schedule is as follows:

All performances take place at The Grand Theater at Highland Park High School, 433 Vine Avenue, Highland Park, IL:

Sunday, July 27 at 2:00 PM
Thursday, July 31 at 7:30 PM
Friday, August 1 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, August 2 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
Sunday, August 3 at 2:00 PM
The production runs approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission. It is appropriate for all ages. Uptown provides ample free parking.
Tickets are available for purchase at www.uptownhp.org.

Box office: (312) 488-9408.