"Hairspray" Tour "still an infectious delight"

[jimnysf]

Posted: 5/25/06 at 5:34am

The Equity Tour heads to San Jose from June 6-18 and it will soon come to an end. It sounds like it is still in great shape, at least according to "The Hollywood Reporter".

"At the Pantages, the current version is still an infectious delight, a generous, big-hearted, glitzy show that brings back fond memories of that good ol' '60s rock 'n' roll that swept America during the early days of the Civil Rights movement.

This is a first-rate touring production with high-energy singer/dancers (the choreography of Jerry Mitchell), great sets by David Rockwell, gaudy costumes by William Ivey Long, glossy lighting and sound by Kenneth Posner and Steve C. Kennedy, respectively, beehive hairdos and driving doo-wop music. Add the expert direction of Jack O'Brien.

All this plus an over-the-top performance by J.P. Dougherty as Edna Turnblad, the queen of the ironing board, wearing tent-sized house dresses; and a personable, triple-threat dynamo Keala Settle as the chunky teenager Tracy Turnblad, who wears beehive hairdos, lives to dance and manages to change the Baltimore daily TV dance party into an integrated program...

Settle captivates the audience with "I Can Hear the Bells," and her duet "I'm a Big Girl Now" with Edna is both charming and touching. Alan Mingo Jr. (who plays Seaweed J. Stubbs) is a powerhouse as he belts "Run and Tell That"; Hayley Podschum is a fine Penny, Tracy's best friend; and Charlotte Crossley comes across with a commanding voice in the gospel number "I Know Where I've Been."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060524/stage_nm/stage_hairspray_dc_1

[jimnysf]

Posted: 5/25/06 at 11:25pm

Bump

[showbiz287]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 12:08am

I'm obsessed with this show...so maybe its just me who noticed...but when the tour first started out they had the expanding vanity for "Mamma I'm a Big Girl Now" and the Wilbur's Har-d-har Hut wagon unit. the second time I saw the show (in Boston) both of those elements were missing...did they just decide to get rid of those peices? or did they get used for the Vegas Production? or why would it be on tour one year and not the next. Its not like it takes away from the story...I just love David Rockwell's AWESOME set!!!

[zepka102]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 12:09am

they cut down on the tour to save money

[JackiesBroJoe]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 12:12am

This has been the norm for as long as shows have been touring. After the first year, to cut down on costs, set pieces start to dissapear.

[showbiz287]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 12:14am

i dont understand how that saves money...but, whatever...lol...maybe I'll find it on e-bay...haha

seriously...this hairspray obsessions...its getting rediculous...

North Shore Music Theatre is the first regional company to get the rights to do the show...its only about an hour away from me...and yes, I already have tickets....

<-------- see the can of Hairspray in my pic....yes...its an actual prop from the show...and its signed by John Waters (thank you e-bay)

I've seen it twice on Broadway, and three times on tour...

Updated On: 5/26/06 at 12:14 AM

[zepka102]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 12:15am

bigger set pieces, more trucks to transport


i noticed it missing, but hey, its still an amazing show

[Tag]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 12:57am

Like zepka said, more transport space is required as well as more load in/strike crew must be called, and more IATSE backstage crew is needed to handle the scene transitions. Add costs for upkeep and the hassles of automating multiple set peices.

[timote316]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 1:01am

Hate to speak ill of the show in a love-fest thread, but... I saw it for the first time in Boston last October, and really noticed how scaled back it looked. Save for the LED curtain (which, admittingly, was very cool), everything looked extremely cheap to me. It really took away from the experience.

[whiskedaway]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 3:05am

Well this is very convenient. I just got back from seeing the show at the pantages. This was my first time seeing it and me and my boyfriend LOVED it. The entire cast was amazing and had great chemistry. Since I have never seen the Broadway production I cant compare it but the show looked far from cheap. I am sad to hear the tour is ending soon.

[basketcase]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 1:37pm

I saw the tour several months ago after hearing that they had gotten rid of the "Mama I'm A Big Girl Now" expanding mirror...only to see that they had brought it back. Last night, I saw the show at the Pantages. It appeared that they had the mirror, but that the stage was too small for them to fully expand it. It was folded up so that there was only one panel on either side of the mirror, and thus only one "nicest kid" on either side. Perhaps it's an entirely different mirror altogether. Not quite sure as I've always managed to catch the tour when the mirror was there. I was slightly disappointed, but at least there was something!

As far as the show itself, very enjoyable as usual!

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 1:58pm

That reviewer also got see Hayley Podschun as Penny (she is an understudy who I too got the chance to see when I saw the show in Miami in February,) and she is just as good if not better than Kerry Butler.

I am wondering if she has assumed the role full time since Caissie Levy left... I hope so. She was such a delight.

EDIT: Found this news blurb on a site mentioning Hayley: "Hayley has been in the cast of the National Tour of Hairspray since fall 2005! She was originally cast to play the role of Tammy, but just recently got moved up and is now playing the role of Tracy's best friend, Penny Pingleton!" Looks like she did indeed replace Levy. Congrats to her! Anyone that gets to see her is in for a treat, because she will knock your socks off!

Updated On: 5/26/06 at 01:58 PM

[Rentheadut]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 4:24pm

A good, good friend of mine is taking over as Tracy in the non-equity tour.

You have nothing to worry about, it's in good hands.

She is AMAZING!

[Rentheadut]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 4:25pm

A good, good friend of mine is taking over as Tracy in the non-equity tour.

You have nothing to worry about, it's in good hands.

She is AMAZING!

[Rentheadut]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 4:25pm

A good, good friend of mine is taking over as Tracy in the non-equity tour.

You have nothing to worry about, it's in good hands.

She is AMAZING!

[jimnysf]

Posted: 5/26/06 at 4:27pm

She must be wonderful if she gets a triple post! :)