Hairspray - REVIEW

 

Afternoon all!

After just two weeks I’m back again with a review from The Wolverhampton Grand theatre, but this time its all about ‘Hairspray’. For full transparency, I was gifted tickets to this show!

Okay, so, Hairspray! Let’s start with the cast. Wow. Just, wow. What a talented group of people. Seriously, I have nothing bad to say. I do have standouts, but I can’t stress enough just how incredible every single member of the cast are. My personal standouts were as follows:

Alex Bourne (Edna Turnblad)

Norman Price (Wilbur Turnblad)

Brenda Edwards (Motormouth Maybelle)

Charlotte St Croix (Little Inez)

Katie Price (Tracy Turnblad)

Like I said, everyone was fantastic but these few really stood out to me. The comedic timing between Alex and Norman was PERFECT. The voice that came from Charlotte was insane. The fact that it was Katie debut has shocked me. She was phenomenal and really embodied the character of Tracy . But the cast member that really gave me all the emotion, was Brenda Edwards. I’ve always loved listening to the Hairspray cast recording, but hearing it in person and being able to really feel the emotion was something else. It’s always been an emotional moment listening to ‘I know where I’ve been, but especially with the Black Lives Matter movement and really seeing how society still is, it really made me feel so emotional and almost uncomfortable. I had a lump in my throat. We have come so far but there is still so much more we can do.

More on this later, let’s discuss the sets and costumes, designed by Takis. Again, the band was on stage which I always love. And the set was a hybrid between physical movable sets and a large screen at the back of the stage. My favourite piece of set was the huge hairspray can (which holds a fabulous surprise!) and the houses, especially in ‘Mama I'm a big girl now'. In terms of costumes, I’ve gotta say, my favourite ones were the sparkly finale outfits. I’m like magpie and love anything that sparkles.

I have already touched on music, but I want to talk about it a little more. All your iconic songs are in the show (You can’t stop the beat/I know where I’ve been/Big Blonde and Beautiful) but also a few that aren’t in the film! Like I’ve mentioned, the emotion from a number of songs really shows through. Please bring tissues!! You’re going to need them!!

My overall thoughts on this show? 5/5!!! Its must see and it really is such a classic for people of all ages. Especially for kids, as it can be a starting introduction for a conversation discussing racism. To help talk about equality and get people to talk more about these topics that need to be heard.

Lastly, thanks again to The Wolverhampton Grand for inviting me along. Hairspray is running until Saturday 23^rd October, get your tickets here! Let me know if you go and see the show!

All my love

Eleanor Abbey xo

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