The Broadway musical Hairspray has danced its way into America’s heart and has earned its reputation as a “classic”, with eight Tony awards and countless professional and school productions over the years, including November’s run at Northwood High School.
Hairspray takes place during the Civil Rights Movement, when integration is about as radical a concept as gay marriage. At one point in the show, Prudy Pingleton, Emma-Lea Jacklin, cries out, “Colored people in the house! It’ll never sell!” Tracy Turnblad, however, sings a different tune. In her audition for a much coveted position on The Corny Collins Show, she is asked if she would swim in an integrated pool, and what would she do were she to be crowned “Miss Teenage Hairspray”. She naively responds, “I would make every day Negro Day!” The revolutionary actions of the outspoken Tracy filled her family with pride and made her friends respect her; they also won her the support of the black community in Baltimore, enabling her to win the title and successfully integrate The Corny Collins Show.
Lead actress Blake Johnson was radiant as Tracy. Ever the optimist, even in the face of rejection and imprisonment, she continued to look on the bright side. Link Larkin, played by Zach Combs, was the typical teen heartthrob of the show, at times more focused on furthering his career than on Tracy. Together, they were never more in sync than in the number “Without Love. In that same sentimental number, Tracy’s sidekick Penny Pingleton, played by Laura Goemann, and her African American beau, Seaweed J. Stubbs, Jamaal Bowman, stole the audience’s heart with Mr. Stubbs’ sensual moves and Penny’s dorky persona.
Edna and Wilbur Turnblad, Kailyn Richards and Ricardo Chicas, were always the supportive, well meaning parents Tracy needed, but were characters in their own right, and clearly identified with their roles. Mother-daughter divas Amber and Velma Von Tussle, Yaya Balbed and Genesis Lemus, both commanded the audience’s attention as the spoiled brats of The Corny Collins Show. The former with her talented vocals and projection, the latter with comic timing and witty lines, without grating on the audience’s nerves.
Some characters with smaller roles certainly made up for the lack of lines in talent, effort, and comic timing. Celene Daniels, Little Inez, and Briannon DeLuca, Gym Teacher/Matron, were always in character, and invested so much energy into their roles that the audience couldn’t help but watch them. Arturo Arzamendia, Sketch/Ensemble, Jamaal Bowman, Seaweed, were both excellent. The former in technique, energy, and sass, the latter in his smooth vocal and dance styles.
On the technical front, power outages posed significant challenges to the lighting and sound crews, but they took it in stride considering the difficulty of improvisational tech. All in all, Hairspray was one heck of a show, and the audience truly could not stop the beat!
–Nora Alwani, Langley High School
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