Top 100 Greatest Musicals Poll - Number 10 - Hairspray

The cast of NBC's Hairspray Live Based on the 1988John Waters film of the same name, Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman and book by Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell. The original production was directed by Jack O'Brien and choreography by Jerry Mitchell.

Hairspray is the story of Tracy Turnblad, a plus-size teen who dreams of dancing on a local networks tv teen show. Tracy becomes a celebrity overnight when she wins a role on the Corny Collins show, and using her celebrity seeks to integrate the show.

Mel Smith, Leanne Jones and Michael Ball

Hairspray exploded onto Broadway on 15 August 2002 starring Harvey Fierstein where it ran for 2,642 performances closing on January 4, 2009. The show was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards winning eight including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score. When the show opened in London with Michael Ball in the role of Edna it received eleven Olivier Award nominations winning four including best new musical.

Whilst stage productions of Hairspray have been seen around the world since the show first opened, the musical was also the subject of a movie adaptation which starred John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, James Marsden, and Zac Effron and in 2016 the NBC television network televised Hairspray Live with a cast that included Jennifer Hudson, Harvey Fierstein, Martin Short, Derek Hough, Kristin Chenoweth and Ariana Grande.

Hairspray has had numerous UK tours and will be presented again later this year.

https://youtu.be/LNiT9v0a1jE

Find out more about the Hairspray UK Tour

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