Hey BroadwayEnthusiast2... I was six rows up in the mezz so I couldn't see anything that was going on in the orchestra section. All I do know is that it was pretty wild up in the mezz/balcony too... many diehard 'Spray fans cheering and giving standing O's. So past cast members were dancing in the aisles during YCSTB? Wow. Sweet. It was also hard to see who was crying and who was not crying. I saw Marissa get emotional at one point during one of the songs in Act 1 (can't remember right now). She also seemed to get very emotional during GMB Reprise. And someone else said the whole cast was practically in tears during IKWIB. I LOVED how they got such a huge, long standing O after that one. Truly amazing.
Oh my goodness, they waste no time! That's sad to see.
That reminds me, the Har-De-Har Hut contraption didn't work as expected during the final performance. The ball was late falling through the mouse tubes, and the audience knew this and "aww"'d at the sight.
Also, in the dodgeball scene, after the gym teacher says "Yeah, go for his nuts!", they used the "reeer" cat sound effect usually heard when the chicken falls to the floor. It's the same sound effect heard at the very end of the bonus "Blood on the Pavement" number on the cast recording.
"The world is a better place because of hairspray." - Michael Ball
Wow...just reading through everyones posts - sounds like an amazing performance! Although I never got a chance to see Hairspray on Broadway, I did see it twice on tour, and it was fabulous! It's a great show, and a lot of fun.... I'm sad to see it go, but I am glad the last performance was so memorable!
"You see, I told you so! There's lots of things I know. 'Ponine, she knows her way around."
Hey Dottie... Yes... Shannon was there, and it was GREAT to see her. She was up there with everyone else for the curtain call. In fact, she was right in the first row of alumni, standing next to Laura Bell Bundy. She looked great!! Love her! I still can't believe how many former cast members came back. Much more than RENT. It just goes to show how special this show is to so many people.
Zamedy, you're good!! I had no idea you were at the final performance of Rent. I was standing next to Kathy Brier outside after the show. I saw a lot of former cast members during intermission. Did you leave your seat during intermission?
Hey Dottie!
Did your colleagues enjoy the cake even though your cat decided to sit on it? ~GuyfromGermany
Yes.. left my seat to go to the bathroom. It was crazy.. but everyone was in such a great mood.
And I wasn't at the final performance of RENT. In fact, I've never seen it. My comment was just based on video of the final curtain call posted on another site. HAIRSPRAY and AVENUE Q are the only shows I'd really care to see on closing night.
Firstly, I would just like to mention ALL of the people I saw at the show, during intermission, before the show, after the show and ON stage with the current cast... Aaron Tveit (Link), Hayley Podschun (Tammy), Jacqui Polk (swing) , Chester Gregory (Seaweed), Caissie Levy (Penny), Andrew Rannels (Fender?), Michael Cunio (Corny/Sketch?), Shoshana Bean (OBC Shelley), Laura Bell Bundy (OBC Amber), Kerry Butler (OBC Penny), Leslie Goddard (Brenda), Shannon Durig (Tracy), Carly Jibson (Tracy), Katrina Diderson (Vegas TRacy), Hollis Scarborough (Vegas Brenda), Ashley Spencer (Amber), Van Hughes (Sketch), Katie Leonard (OBC LouAnn), Jackie Hoffman (OBC FAF), Leslie Kritzer (Shelley), Linda Hart (OBC Velma?) Michelle Kittrell (Brenda), Rusty Mowery (swing?), Jenn Gamby (OBC Brenda), Candice Woods (dynamite), Paul Vogt (Edna), George Wednt (Edna), Aubrey O'Day (Amber, snicker snicker sneer sneer). Those were all of the cast members I could IDENTIFY, but there were many more there as well. Some very important people that had to do with Hairspray: Margo Lion (producer), Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (lyrics&music), Jerry Mitchell (choreographer), Bernie Telsey (casting), Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell (book), Jack O'Brein (director), and William Ivey Long (costumes). and then randomly, I saw Matthew Broderick, who was apparently there with Sarah Jessica Parker...and movie director/choreographer Adam Shankman!
Secondly, I had the pleasure of meeting and as I said, seeing many past cast members. [b]Before[/b] the show I met Margo Lion and she asked how many times I have seen the show, I said today, the final, will be my 13th. She said "13 is my lucky number"..and that's how she signed my CD booklet! I met Kerry Butler (who I saw in Xanadu) pre show, she signed my CD booklet and we took a picture. I met Laura Bell Bundy (who I saw in Legally Blonde), she signed and took a picture with me as well. Both extreme sweethearts! I also met Judie Somersville (who was an OBC dynamite and stuck with the show for i think all of the 6.5 years...she may have had a few breaks inbetween?) and she was kind enough to sign my CD booklet as well.
[b]ACT 1:[/b] Good Morning Baltimore got a HUGE applause. HUGE. Thundering. Marissa got one, the ensemble got one as they were shown on their towers...or as i like to call them, shadow towers..since all you see is their shadows! Then when they made their actual entrance, even bigger applause. You could see on all of their faces they were taking the moment in. It was certainly different sitting up in center mezz (row F) than sitting in the front row! Out of the 13 times I have seen the show, this being my 13th, I have sat front row 10 times! The last time I sat any where but front row was on June 27, 2007. I have never sat in the mezz before either, so it was a fun experience! The seats were amazing. I was DEAD center. Huge applause for The Nicest Kids in Town entry. Niki came onstage and her line is "IM HURRING TRACY, BUT MY MOTHER SAYS IM NOT ALLOWED TO PERSPIRE"...she came onstage and got a ginormous applause and she choked up a little, hesitated a few seconds to say her line (due to the applause) and she looked like she was going to cry, but she held strong and got through it. No visible tears from anyone really until....Good Morning Baltimore reprise (in act 2), from Marissa Jaret Winokur. Harvey got a standing Ovation and stood there with his iron for a a good 3 minutes waiting for everyone to stop, he's such a goof ball..he was playing around with the iron and Susie was standing there with a 'alrighty' smile..but a funny 'alrighty' smile. After everyone was done with their entrances, the thunderous applauses sort of stopped until "Welcome To the Sixties". The Dynamites got a standing ovation, and I expected them to. I stood up because personally, they are my favorite part of that song. "Run and Tell that" also got many applauses. I was really happy because Niki delivered her line "imagine, being invited places by COLLOOOO-RRRRDDD PEOPLEEEEEEEE" exactly how I like it, lmao. Lately, she hasn't done it as funny as she use to, but she did it for closing..which made me happy. She basically carried out a funny tune while saying that line. Tevin was on FIRE. He has always been one of my favorite actors in that show. At the end of "Run and Tell That", he said something along the lines of "this is the last time im singing this, so you KNOW you better run and tell that. tell everyone you know, your mom, dad, sisters, brothers, EVERYONE to run and tell that". i was dying laughing, and so was everyone else, including the cast. Then a huge round of applause for Charlo's entrance as Motormouth. Nothnig else really to say about act 1. Everyone was on top of their game and I just had an absolute blast.
[b]INTERMISSION:[/b] I ran downstairs to meet up with my friend Tucker, who was stagedooring with me pre-show as well. We hung out all over the place, but mainly between right orchestra and center orchestra. WHY?..because ALL previous cast members were sitting in that area. During intermision I saw LBB, Kerry Butler, Matthew Broderick, Chester Gregory (got a picture with him), Caissie Levy, Shoshana Bean, Jacqui Polk, Shannon Durig (got a picture with her), Candice Woods, Jackie Hoffman, Jenn Gambetese, Marc Shaiman (got a picture with him), Michelle Kittrell, William Ivey Long, Marc O'Donnell, Rusty Mowery and a few others. Honestly, no one cared that SJP and Matthew Broderick were there, EVERYONE was interested in seeing the cast members, (Well, everyone that recognized them, that is). It was so much fun seeing everyone because they were excited to see eachother too! Hugs and kisses left and right..it was one big Hairspray family reunion and it was cool seeing it happen around you. Intermission was ending so I darted back up to my seat to begin act two!
[b]ACT 2:[/b] Curtain rises, an applause, of course! The cast was a hoot. Nothing major went on..I was still overwhelmed with intermission, yes, I'm a nerd and seriously had THEEE best time during intermission. How could I not with meeting so many of my favorite Broadway performers? During "Good Morning Baltimore" reprise Marissa Jaret Winokur started crying, which was very upsetting to see. Timeless to Me was of course hysterical. Harvey and Ken are probably the funniest pair I have ever seen. But, being at the show the previous Friday, and the previous Saturday, nothing was new to me. They did not do any thing over the top that I haven't seen done by them before. It was my 4th? time seeing Harvey. They were unforgettable though! I love how energetic Harvey is, seriously. He is brilliant. Without Love was nothnig over the top either. I mean, it seemed like any other show. Susie actually didn't get a big exit applause, which REALLY surprised me...maybe only a few people clapped..she deserved more. "It's Hairspray", nothing special with that either. Cooties was a hoot. Kate Loprest is by far one of my favorite Amber's ever. The BEST moment with her was with her and Clarke right before "It Takes Two", she laughs at something and clarke mimicks her "ha ha ha ha ha". It really is funny, but I guess you have to be there. They have done it before and it's just great. Connie got such a big entrance pplause for It Takes Two, that when Kate exits and screams "MOTHERRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" you could tell she tried screaming over the crowd, it was sort of funny...but anyway....Her Cooties was great, but basically, everyone was waiting for the BIG finale. You Can't Stop The Beat was one of the most powerful numbers that day. [side note: the orchestra blew the roof off. they were FANTASTIC. the loudest I have ever heard them. They were one of the best parts of the show. Seriously, I'm not a big fan of blonde..but..MAD PROPS to them. hah.] It was seriously one of the best numbers they have ever performed as a cast. When Marissa says "Television is now and forever more, officially integrated" she changed her line to "television, AND THE WHITE HOUSE...." ROARING APPLAUSE and a standing ovation!......"are now and forever more, OFFICIALLY INTEGRATED". Harvey got a juge applause on his final entrance and Charlo blew eveyrone away with her Solo. It's my favorite part of YCSTB. The applause at the end was REDICULOUS. I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. You could tell, from the start of the show that EVERYONE there was there to see their favorite show go. Marissa invited the entire Hairspray family up to dance "You Can't Stop The Beat" and thats when I realized just how many people have been a part of this wonderful show. It was by far the greatest part of the night. Harvey's speech brought tears to many, but not to me. I think I was just overwhelmed with everything, just..flat out, excited to be a part of this historical closing. I was Honored to be a "Hair Hopper". During curtain call, the swing members who did not get to go on for the final show came onstage and took their final bows with the cast. Summer Broyhill, Nicole Powell, Lauren Kling, Annie Funke and Marissa Perry took their bows with the ensemble girls, and Ryan Chotto, Robbie Roby, Blake Hammond and Matt Morgan took their final bows with the ensemble boys. Marissa Jaret Winokur brought her son Zev onstage and OH MY GOD is he the cutest! I have seen him on Ryan's blog before but holy crap is he cute! haha. I'm sure you have all seen the pictures by now of his adorable white tux and pink bowtie. ack, so cute! lol. That's about all I have to say about the show itself. Well done, and I am SOOOO VERY GRATEFUL I was able to be at closing. It was great closure for me, as a fan to have been there. Hairspray is, and will always be, my favorite BRoadway show. I won't Stop The Beat!
[b]STAGEDOOR MADNESS:[/b] not nearly as bad as Laura Bell Bundy's last (dont get me started about that, hah) but considering it was the LAST show, it was insane. The crowd was out to the street. Mostly EVERYONE came out and signed. I FINALLY got to meet Shoshana Bean. Kerry Butler tried to escape, btu was obviously recognized, hah. Everyone looked very handsome and gorgeous because they were all done up for the party! It was certainly a night I will never forget. Thank you Hairspray for..everything.
I hope you all enjoyed my review, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Great review PennyLou! And it was great to meet you, too. In fact, it was so awesome to be sitting next to two other HUGE HAIRSPRAY fans (You and FuturePenny). Just perfectly fitting for the night.
Did you enjoy Charlo's last IKWIB? I have to admit, it wasn't as powerful vocally as I've heard the song performed before, but emotionally, it couldn't have been more powerful. I couldn't tell from my seat but several other posters have said she, and most of the cast on stage for the song, were balling or on the brink of it.
Ha, so this is a bit late since I've spent most of the past few days traveling and getting back into the swing of "normal life", but I wanted to post myself since I had such an amazing time (Warning: I might ramble).
So much of my Hairspray experience has been by chance, and Sunday's closing show was no different. My first time seeing the show was about 4 years ago when the first National Tour made it's way through NC. At that time I didn't know anything about the show (and I hate to admit that just from the marquee it wasn't something I was initially interested in) but a friend of mine had two tickets and I wasn't about to pass up a chance to see a show. In the end I was amazed and since then it has remained one of my favorite shows that I've ever seen! The cast was on fire, the music was phenomenal, and the Blumenthal theater is such a great performing space that it just enhances any show that comes to visit.
This time was no different. I've been trying to make it up to NYC for several months now, mainly to see In the Heights, and the only time my friend was free for me to stay at her place just happened to be from Jan 3rd - 6th. Anyways, as soon as I realized that my trip coincided with the final show, I booked tickets immediately.
The show was by far the absolute highlight of my trip. I took my one friend who's an aspiring actress herself and the whole afternoon was bittersweet. I had a blast from the moment I got to the Neil Simon until we left; however, my friend had her ups and downs since her dream for the past few years has been to land the role of Tracy, and after 5 auditions she's had 5 call-backs but been cut each time at the end . Anyways, despite being a bit sad, she was equally thrilled to be at the final show and was determined to get us backstage because through the auditioning she'd become good friends with Constantine. So after lunch at the cafe right next door, we decided to hang outside the stage door since it was still over an hour til curtain hoping we might catch him or have someone else entering tell him she was here. What ended up happening was actually better. One of the ensemble members came out with his own camera to film some of the crowd and soak up the moment and I happened to be right beside him so he handed me the camera to film him with the crowd. After we got to talking and my friend asked about Constantine, who was apparently busy because his family members had just arrived, but after hearing that she was a friend, the guy told us he'd make us his guests instead and put us on the list to go backstage! I couldn't believe it! Here, I was just thrilled to be at the final performance and able to see Harvey and Marissa, and now we had the chance to go backstage.
So right after Harvey finished his speech, my friend and I hurried around to the stage door, and after a little bit of waiting we were in! The whole thing still seems so surreal and the stage was still packed! We met Harvey for a few seconds, but of course he was incredibly busy. After that I went to go find the cast member who invited us backstage and talked with him for a while longer and congratulated him on the performance and thanked him again and then spoke for a second with Kate Loprest. Meanwhile, my friend was meeting Jerry Mitchell and Bernard Telsey. My friend met up with me a few minutes later, and that's when we got to meet Sarah Jessica Parker and Laura Bell Bundy. After we talked with Marissa for a few minutes which was a real treat she was incredibly sweet. Constantine came up after he'd changed out of his costume and found my friend and then we all got to meet other cast members. We were up on stage for at least a good half hour while everyone mingled and talked but it definitely felt like a blur. A bit later we met Matthew Brodrick and a few other people, haha and of course my friend made a point of taking a few photos around the stage before everyone started to trickle out.
The whole experience was certainly unexpected and a once in a lifetime treat. Haha we were both on cloud 9 by the time we finally made it home! Sorry to ramble but this was an amazing trip!!!
Does anyone know if Dick Latessa was around? I know that he's about 78 now, but I was wondering if he was able to make it. For that matter, does anyone know if he's still working?
I did not see him personally but another poster said they did spot him onstage. Does anyone know if Mary Bond Davis or Jenifer Lewis (former Motormouths) were there? I know Darlene Love was out of town taking part in another show.
PennyLou and Zamedy thank you so much for the in depth reviews!! I waited at the stage door for a while and it was totally crazy!! My dream was to get Harvey's autograph but I had to leave for work. ) : This show will be sooooo missed!!!
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