The original Broadway cast included Marissa Jaret Winokur and Harvey Fierstein as Tracy and Edna, respectively, Matthew Morrison as Link, Laura Bell Bundy as Amber, Kerry Butler as Penny, Linda Hart as Velma, Mary Bond Davis as Motormouth Maybelle, Corey Reynolds as Seaweed, Jackie Hoffman as Matron, Dick Latessa as Wilbur, and Clarke Thorell as Corny Collins.
[14] The production was due to return to the West End at the London Coliseum for a limited 18-week season from 23 April to 29 August 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused all public theatres to close indefinitely in mid-March.
[18] Full casting includes Lizzie Bea as Tracy, Marisha Wallace as Motormouth Maybelle, Les Dennis as Wilbur Turnblad, Rita Simons as Velma Von Tussle, Jonny Amies as Link Larkin, and Mari McGinlay as Penny Pingleton.
Paul Merton was originally set to make his West End debut as Wilbur but after several delays he was unable to join the company and was replaced by Dennis.
The cast included Jaz Flowers as Tracy, Trevor Ashley as Edna, Jack Chambers as Link, and Tevin Campbell reprising his role from the Broadway production as Seaweed.
The cast included Carmel Rodrigues as Tracy, Shane Jacobson as Edna, Rhonda Burchmore as Velma, Todd McKenney as Wilbur, Rob Mills as Corny Collins, and Asabi Goodman as Motormouth Maybelle.
[26] It starred Carly Jibson as Tracy, Bruce Vilanch as Edna, Terron Brooks as Seaweed, Sandra DeNise as Penny, Susan Cella as Velma, and Ramona Cole (soon replaced by Charlotte Crossley) as Motormouth Maybelle.
The production starred Brooklynn Pulver as Tracy, Jerry O'Boyle as Edna, Dan Ferretti as Wilbur, Constantine Rousouli as Link, Christian Dante White as Seaweed, Alyssa Malgeri as Penny, Jarret Mallon as Corny, Happy McPartlin as Velma, Pearl Thomas as Amber, and Yvette Clark as Motormouth Maybelle.
After the West End production closed, Hairspray began touring the UK and Ireland, starting at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on April 7, 2010, following previews from March 30.
The show opened on February 13 in The Lowry Theatre in Manchester with Mark Benton as Edna, Lucy Benjamin as Velma, Sandra Marvin as Motormouth Maybelle, Marcus Collins as Seaweed, and Freya Sutton as Tracy.
[33] MM Musicals presented the show at FairfieldHalls, Croydon, in the Ashcroft Theatre, from 19 to 22 November 2014, with Corin Miller as Tracy, Andy Lingfield as Edna, and Natalie Cave as Penny.
[35] The production returned at the end of summer 2017 to once again tour the UK, starring Norman Pace as Wilbur, Brenda Edwards as Motormouth, Layton Williams, and Rebecca Mendoza as Tracy.
[37][38] A Las Vegas production ran at the Luxor Hotel in 2006 starring Katrina Rose Dideriksen as Tracy, Austin Miller as Link, and Fierstein and Latessa reprising their roles as Edna and Wilbur.
The cast also featured Corbin Bleu (Seaweed), Drew Carey (Wilbur), Diana DeGarmo (Penny), Mo Gaffney (Prudy and others), Nick Jonas (Link Larkin), Darlene Love (Motormouth Maybelle), Susan Anton (Velma), and John Stamos (Corny).
[43] The cast also included Tom Rooney as Wilbur, Fran Jaye as Motormouth Maybelle, Matthew Morgan as Seaweed, Shennel Campbell as Little Inez, Jennifer Stewart as Penny, Michael Torontow as Link, Susan Henley as Velma, Tara Macri as Amber, Kevin Meaney and Charlotte Moore as the Authority Figures, and Paul McQuillan as Corny.
Rounding out the opening night cast were Caissie Levy, Steven Cutts, Felicia Dinwiddie, Karen Burthwright, Jesse Weafer, Clyde Alves, Breanne Arrigo, Lisa Bell, Adam Bolton, Amanda DeFreitas, Starr Dominigue, Nicolas Dromard, Desmond Osborne, Melanie Phillipson, Stephanie Pitsiladis, Christine Rossi, Avery Saltzman, Sheldon Smith, Alison Smyth, Lindsay Thomas, Darren Voros, Derek Wiens, and Ryan Wilson.
[citation needed] On July 4, 2024, a Brazilian revival opened in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo in September 5, starring Vânia Canto as Tracy and Tiago Abravanel as Edna.
It featured Naomi Watanabe as Tracy, Yuichiro Yamaguchi as Edna, Zen Ishikawa as Wilbur, Crystal Kay as Motormouth Maybelle, Jun Sena as Velma, Kohei Ueguchi as Corny, Kurumi Shimizu as Penny, Hiroki Miura as Link, Soichi Hirama as Seaweed, and Meimi Tamura (former ANGERME member) as Amber.
It featured Naomi Watanabe as Tracy, Yuichiro Yamaguchi as Edna, Zen Ishikawa as Wilbur, Eliana as Motormouth Maybelle, Jun Sena as Velma, Kohei Ueguchi as Corny, Kurumi Shimizu as Penny, Hiroki Miura as Link, Soichi Hirama as Seaweed, and Meimi Tamura as Amber.
After gaining permission and support from her father, Wilbur, Tracy auditions for the show and bumps into a teenage heartthrob, Link Larkin, which leads into a dream sequence ("I Can Hear the Bells").
There she meets black dancer Seaweed J. Stubbs (the son of the hostess of "Negro Day" on The Corny Collins Show, Motormouth Maybelle), who teaches her several dance moves.
As the results are about to be announced, Tracy stuns Amber as she makes her entrance in a magenta dress without any petticoat underneath, taking over the stage, and is joined by Link, Penny, Seaweed, Edna, Wilbur, Little Inez, Corny, and Motormouth.
Early versions of the show featured "Velma's Cha-Cha" and "The Status Quo" (Seattle) (with its short reprise "Rage") during Tracy's audition and dismissal, but the team instead opted for "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs".
[72] After Amber's rendition of "Cooties", Tracy had a song before the finale, "It Ain't Over 'Til the Fat Lady Sings", that was cut after readings of the show; it was included as a track on the Special Edition of the 2007 motion picture's soundtrack.
[73] Hairspray's orchestration calls for 15 musicians: two keyboards, the first of which is played by the conductor, electric bass, two guitars, drums, percussion, two trumpets, trombone, two woodwind players, two violins, and cello.
[citation needed] In the original Broadway production, a few of the actors mimed on musical instruments in order to fulfil a minimum musician requirement at the Neil Simon Theatre.
[82] In his Variety review, Charles Isherwood wrote: "this sweet, infinitely spirited, bubblegum-flavored confection won't be lacking for buyers any time soon.
Stocked with canny, deliriously tuneful songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and directed by Jack O'Brien with a common touch that stops short of vulgarity, 'Hairspray' is as sweet as a show can be without promoting tooth decay.
...Shaiman... is taking the infectious hooks and rhythms from period pop and R&B and translating them into the big, bouncy sound that Broadway demands.... And while the savvy arrangements... nod happily to Motown, Elvis, Lesley Gore ballads and standards like 'Higher and Higher', the score's appeal isn't nostalgic.
The film was directed and choreographed by Adam Shankman and starred John Travolta as Edna, Christopher Walken as Wilbur, Queen Latifah as Maybelle, Michelle Pfeiffer as Velma, James Marsden as Corny, and Nikki Blonsky as Tracy.