Continuing our tour of the musicals on the list, we watched Hairspray. Now, the version we watched was the live version that aired on TV several years ago. I have also seen the movie, and a touring company version, and I think the live version is comparable.
Hairspray is such a fun show. The music is upbeat, the plot is cute (and still relevant today, if we get right down to it). The live version hit all the highlights, with the added bonus of playing spot the celebrity in the cast. We kept going wait, that’s Derek Hough, Kristin Chenoweth, Jennifer Hudson, Ariana Grande…and the list keeps going.
I think it would be easy to dismiss this as something that was done to showcase these celebrities. But here’s the thing, it was actually good. We all know (or we should) that Kristin Chenoweth and Jennifer Hudson can sing, but so can the majority of the rest of the cast. And the ones that aren’t as polished vocally are cast in the more character roles, so it’s not a big deal. No one expects Edna Turnblad to be the best singer in the show.
In short, I enjoyed it for what it was, and I wouldn’t mind watching it again!