Theatre Review

Huge hirsute happiness

I remember it well, sat in a dingy “fleapit” London cinema in 1988, being offered all sorts of illegal substances by a gaggle of people with amazing hairdos, there to see the latest John Waters film. His earlier offerings included Polyester and the infamous Pink Flamingoes starring the indecorous Devine. The film was Hairspray (London Coliseum). Set in 1962 Baltimore, the film follows the “pleasantly plump” teenager Tracy Turnblad pursuing stardom as a dancer on a local television dance show while rallying against racial segregation. It is funny, sad, angry and outrageously camp. A musical version was inevitable. That happened on Broadway in 2002, followed by the 2007 film based on that. And now it is back with a bang and enough beehives and other big 1960’s hairstyles to keep back-combing hair stylists in work for a year.
The show has a huge heart, a hugely talented cast and a huge dose of feel good for a country still caught up in pandemic confusion. This revival features Michael Ball reprising his Olivier award winning performance as Edna Turnblad, Tracy’s washerwoman mother, trapped in her own time warp, not having caught up with the times but still holding her daughter tight to her physical and emotional bosom. Ball has a ball and though he occasionally turns into Widow Twankey, especially in scenes with husband Wilbur (Les Dennis) – pantomime ad-libbing aplenty – he scrubs up well in drag and of course hits all the right notes in the big musical numbers. The duet (You’re) Timeless To Me, is a musical treat and a comic gem with Dennis using all his comedy acumen to mask a limited vocal range.
Matching the men (dragged up or otherwise) blow for blow, Bea is a bundle of infectious energy and joy, revelling in her role as would be dancer and activist, singing with great assurance. Meanwhile Kimani Arthur is a total delight as Little Inez and Marisha Wallace is right in the money with her portrayal of Motormouth Maybelle. Her rendition of I Know Where I’ve Been not only earns her a fully deserved standing ovation but it also captures the essence of the show, a cry from the heart with an overwhelmingly emotional plea for things to change. The Hairspray anthem.
Add in some brilliantly conceived choreography by Jerry Mitchell, executed with panache by the company (Ashley Samuel as Seaweed stands out) and a terrific band led by musical director Alan Berry, you have a colourful, stylish and soulful production directed with skill and nuance by Jack O’Brien. And yes You Can’t Stop The Beat, the rousing final number which had even my reticent companion on her feet busting some nineties moves. The show may be a little too soft for the radicals among you but as good times go this is as good as it gets right now.
Meanwhile Vivat Stactou is not sure about the bad girls…
Sitting in a audience of predominantly young women dressed up for a party was always going to stretch the sensibilities of my less enthusiastic septuagenarian nature. However, I was looking forward to the energy and excitement of Heathers, The Musical (Theatre Royal Haymarket) having seen the 1989 film with Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. I was intrigued to see how a musical would create meaningful, and entertaining, songs about suicide, the theme that runs throughout.
The music thumps from beginning to end and is all very similar. There are no real catchy numbers and the lyrics are generally mundane. Christina Bennington gives a good performance as Veronica Sawyer and her voice improved as the show progressed. Lauren Ward is the outstanding performer as one of the “grown ups”. She provides a lovely mix of subtlety and punch. Hats off too for choreographer Gary Lloyd who did a wonderful job making singing actresses look like they can dance well. As an ex-dancer something I always notice! The design looked, shall we say, economical which was a surprise.
Having said that it is twisted and subversive and the audience seemed to love it, whooping and cheering when the mood took them. A winner with the right crowd, but for me it tries too hard to make a point and could do better with a little more underplaying and a shorter running time. Finally, I cannot imagine the reaction of somebody seeing the show who has lost someone to suicide.

Hairspray – www.londoncoliseum.org
Heathers The Musical – www.trh.co.uk