Hairspray

 

                                              Christopher Swan & Andrew Levitt

HAIRSPRAY, winner of eight 2003  Tony Awards, is appearing at the Miller Théâtre, formerly the Merriam Theatre, through Sunday, May 22, 2022. A rollicking musical. Hairspray is a toe- tapper that won’t let you sit still in your seat. It takes you back to the ‘60’s, perhaps a time of innocence, but the flames of racial inequity burned then as they smolder today. With the help of her two best friends Penny Pingleton (Emery Henderson ) and  Seaweed J. Stubbs, ( Jamonte D. Bruten)  Tracy Turnblad tries to make the Corny Colin Show a place where everyone could dance together, not just on Negro Day. 16-year-old Tracy Turnblad ( Niki Metcalf ) wants to skip school to dance on the Corny Colin Show. Edna, her mama, (Andrew Levitt aka Nina West) says "no". Two other teens, Amber, and Penny, also have disagreements with their mothers, resulting in “Mama I’m a Big Girl Now,” that each girl sings to her mom. The moms participate in the number.  Andrew Levitt has portrayed Nina West as a drag queen since 2001. He  is very nimble on his feet as he sings and dances across the stage. He appears in a variety of costumes throughout the evening among them a stunning evening gown. The show is filled with humor, both with comical situations as when  two teenage girls are swooning  over the same guy as well as with  one liners imparted with perfect timing by a variety of actors. The entire cast is extraordinarily talented. Edna and Wilber Turnblad’s rendition of “You’re Timeless to Me” brought the house down with applause and Motormouth Maybelle’s ( Sandie Lee ) interpretation of “I Know Where I’ve Been “ received thunderous applause as well. As for me, I sang  “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” all the way home to New Jersey.