REVIEW: Hairspray at Mayflower Theatre

It’s time to break in the new year on the Corny Collins show with ‘Hairspray’ at Mayflower Theatre, brought to you by Ultra Clutch! Good morning Baltimore…       I mean, Southampton. Let’s take a trip back to 1962 for another musical that needs no introduction. Starting on Broadway in 2002 before making its West-End debut in 2007, there’s not a lot ‘Hairspray’ hasn’t won. It’s also one of those musicals that everybody, musical theatre fan or not, has heard of. And if you try telling me you haven’t heard at least one song from this timeless soundtrack, I just won’t believe you. I’d also definitely bet that you’ve seen the 2007 film adaptation starring a certain Mr Efron and Travolta. ‘Hairspray’ is modern musical theatre magic and I love everything about it!

If you are unaware of what ‘Hairspray’ is all about, I will give you a quick rundown. You have to bear in mind that this story is set in 1962 America when segregation was at a high. Although funny and energetic, the powerful message behind the story carries just as heavy now as when it was written. We follow teenager ‘Tracy Turnblad’ who has a dream of dancing on the ‘Corny Collins Show', a local TV dance programme based on the real-life ‘Buddy Deane show’. When she beats the odds and wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight, as she pushes for social change campaigning for the shows integration. Although the language used in the show may come across as some what dated, it doesn’t take away from how well this cast get this message across in a lighthearted way, whilst still making it mean something. A true feel-good musical.

This was an incredibly strong touring cast! Energy was at an all time high and the dancing was just brilliant. Heading the cast as ‘Tracy Turnblad’ is the brilliant Katie Brace. She is the ideal triple threat for the job and I don’t think it could’ve been cast any better. The voice, outstanding. The dancing, perfect. The acting, sublime. Another perfect casting choice was the fantastic Joanne Clifton as ‘Velma Von Tussle’. The perfect ‘villain’ with a knock-out voice once again. When it comes to the voice however, the stand-out performance had to be Michelle Ndegwa as ‘Motormouth Maybelle’. ‘I Know Where I’ve Been’ was definitely a stand out song of the night. A goosebumps moment in a song that carries so much meaning and power. I think my favourite song had to be ‘You’re Timeless To Me’ however. Neil Hurst and Dermot Canavan as ‘Edna & Wilbur Turnblad’ were hilarious and this song showcased the best of them both in my opinion. Declan Egan as ‘Corny Collins’ was another voice that hit the mark perfectly. I instantly recognised him from when I saw him as ‘Bob Gaudio’ in ‘Jersey Boys’ - and this was another performance that I won’t be forgetting soon. Reece Richards (‘Seaweed’) and Solomon Davy (‘Link Larkin’), both put on incredible dance performances, and the acting to go along with this was great. Talking about great acting performances, we can’t not mention Freya McMahon (‘Penny Pingleton’) and Allana Taylor (‘Amber Von Tussle’) - two performances that had you laughing along even if they weren’t at the centre of the scene. Katlo as ‘Little Inez’ is another spot on triple threat that couldn’t go unmentioned! Bravo to the whole cast, the ensemble really brought everything together. Very impressive.

As far as sets go, especially for a musical of this calibre, this one was actually pretty lacklustre unfortunately. There just wasn’t anything going on. The majority of the set was down to a projection scene backdrop that just didn’t hit the mark. It was out of focus and the transitions just didn’t work for me. I think It was the second scene when for about 5-10 minutes we were just left with a the small Turnblad Kitchen that came from stage left with a plain black backdrop. Just not what I was envisioning for a multi-award winning international musical. The same can be said for the lights really. Apart from whenever we were in the ‘Corny Collins studio’, I think it just wasn’t quite working because there wasn’t really a set at all. The colour in lights and costume was very aesthetic and the costumes were actually all beautifully designed and selected. I thought it was an odd choice to have the band at the back of the stage as well. I love when productions use the band on the stage, but it was almost as if they were tucked away at the back as a token for the ‘Corny Collins Show’. I remember hearing an incredible guitar solo, but where you couldn’t really see the guitarist, it lost some of its magic as all I could imagine was a musician shredding this solo but sat down without any character.

I may sound like a broken record if you’ve ever read any of my reviews previously but I always say how the music for a musical can be make or break. I can confidently say that the music for ‘Hairspray’ was certainly a make! The live band smashed it. Fronted by Richard Atkinson, all I can say is wow. There is such a variety of musical styles in this musical and his band nailed all of them. Sounding almost identical to the recorded soundtrack if not better. You could feel the music and therefore could resonate with it more than if it was just the recorded soundtrack. Something that I think is very important, especially with the subject matter of the musical. You’ll 100% leave this one not being able to stop the beat.

Overall, this musical is so much fun and it holds such an important message. Two things that this particular touring cast get across to the audience perfectly. In fact I genuinely have never seen or heard an audience so loud and packed in a shows opening night. Seems it isn’t just me that loves this musical! If you have never seen this musical before, I strongly recommend that you try and see this cast in action. Even if you’re just a fan of the movie, you’re going to want to watch the real deal - so why not grab some tickets whilst you still can. ‘Hairspray’ is at Mayflower Theatre until 11th January and tickets are going like gold dust. Don’t miss the hottest kids in town before they leave town! I wish all of the cast and crew the best of luck on the rest of their brilliant tour.