Sure, things happened that occasionally halted the beat (heh). The lighting was a disaster. There's a sound guy looking for a job somewhere, after the numerous instances of dropped sound and a jarring "30 seconds!" director's cue interrupted one of the musical's most heartwarming moments.
A nice reminder that we're live? Sure! But distracting nonetheless.
While casting from the A-listers down to the rising stars was almost undeservedly phenomenal, the star-pandering hiring of Ariana Grande didn't pay off, with the pop starlet's voice out of place in the Broadway score and her comedic timing in one of the musical's most reliably scene-stealing parts even more so. And the goofy suaveness that's supposed to make Link Larkin a send-up of matinee idols was missing from Garrett Clayton's lifeless performance.
But why harp on the weak spots when the production otherwise soared."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/08/hairspray-live-was-nearly-perfect-and-so-important.html?source=TDB&via=FB_Page