You Can’t Stop The Beat! – Hairspray on Tour. 14.04.13, The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton

On the 14th of April I was off to the theatre once again to go and see the matinee showing at 2.30 on a lovely chilly Sunday, this was for a work outing and so I was placed at the back of the stalls, and although it was far back I was able to view every bit of the stage!

The Story of ‘Hairspray’ is set in 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland during when integration was just a wishful dream in the USA, the ‘pleasantly plump’ Teenager from her slumber to a new day in Baltimore! Though at school she is not one of the popular kids, she longs for fame on the Teenager TV Show ‘The Corny Collins Show” where she can dance along side heart throb Link, and bully Amber Von Tussle, and share her love for it to the whole state! luckily a the chance to audition appears and Tracy is dying to audition and with the reluctance of her mother Edna Turnblad, and the encouragement of her father Wilbur, Tracy goes ahead and cuts school to audition and when she arrives she meets Ambers mother Velma Von Tussle, to whom takes an immediate disliking to Tracy resulting in her not getting the part.

But this doesn’t stop Tracy, as she goes on to wow Corny Collins himself at a dance at school with the moves she learnt from Seaweed during Detention at school (which she got from cutting school because of the audition) and to which she succeeds in getting the position on the show! Overnight she becomes a Celebrity and a likely winner to Miss Hairspray to Ambers disgust, and even maybe winning the heart of Link! All is going well until she launches a campaign to integrate the show with the kids from negro day to dance all together at the mother daughter show which leads to Tracy on the run from the law and everyone is fighting to keep her safe.  Though there is a happy ending… but that would be giving it away.

Again I have seen the film of ‘Hairspray’ before I have seen the theatre, and like ‘Rock of Ages’ do not go into the theatre thinking you will see the film, as the story line is a different story to that of the stage, with some parts that are same, but its a new experience to that of the film.

Again The Mayflower exceeds in the staging, with no limitations to what they had on the west end! Its such a bonus having a large quality theatre near by when these sorts of shows go on tour, you just know your going to get that west end feel! The staging and light ran smoothly and care free!

Now onto the cast, being the tour we were lucky to not have any understudies in this performance and all the principles were in! The cast is as follows

Edna Turnblad – Mark Benton

Velma Von Tussle – Lucy Benjamin

Seaweed J Stubbs – Marcus Collins

Tracy Turnblad – Freya Sutton

Motormouth Maybelle – Sandra Marvin

Corny Collins – Josh Piteman

Wilbur Turnblad – Paul Rider

Link Larkin – Luke Striffler

Amber Von Tussle – Gemma Sutton

Penny Pingleton – Laura Hood

All the cast worked well together and had great chemistry on the set. Mark Benton known for his role in ‘Waterloo Road’ was great as Edna Turnblad (who is always played by a male in drag in memory of the first actor who played Edna, Divine) and played the role of a loving plump mother wonderful, highlights have to be ‘Welcome to the 60s’ but especially ‘Your Timeless to Me’ with Paul Rider playing Wilbur, it was just beautifully done that had the audience in stitches of laughter, and with the slight kiss at the end and the audience whooping in the audience led Mark to have a small break in character and a little giggle which just made it all the more unique for us in the audience (sort of like the way you feel when you go and see ‘Spamalot’) and allows you to see that the actors are really enjoying themselves. Theatre debutees Freya Sutton, as Tracy and X Factor Finalist Marcus Sutton as Seaweed hit the stage, Freya shows a strong presence on stage, but I felt it took me a while to warm up to her, but her dancing skills were right up Tracy’s ability! Marcus Sutton had a great voice, and he did his songs superbly…yet his acting wasn’t his strong point which is understandably, he was very static in some on the scenes and where Seaweed is a confident strong black protagonist I didn’t think he really showed him in this way. Heart throb Link played by Luke Striffler had the looks, dance skills, and a good voice, yet again I took a while to warm to him (maybe its cause of Zac Efron plays him in the film? and I don’t know how you can compare to that in some ways?).

I had wanted to see this show since it first came out, I would have loved to have taken my Nana to see it as I knew that it was one that she had wanted to see at the West End. I was very glad that when it left the West End that it wasn’t the end of ‘Hairspray’ and it carried bringing its happiness on tour around the country and I was able to see it. I’m a bit unsure on whether I would go and see it again if it came back on tour, or back to the West End, suppose it would depend on who the cast was if it does come back.

But Hairspray is one for all, even children I don’t think couldn’t be disappointed with this show, and its so brightly colourful and when you leave you are left happy and smiling all the way home!