Calling all those 60’s StageSider’s out there, and you timeless romantics, I see you. Come on in, take a seat and unwind to some Baltimore tunes, as the review of Hairspray the musical (on tour) is about to begin!
About the show!
Hey momma Hey momma what that sound, everybody truly is grooving to this awesome sound. With a crazy good atmosphere, some brilliant twists on the West End visuals and some great comic moments, Hairspray is a classic musical that always aims to, and succeeds in, providing audiences with evenings of entertainment.
Welcome to the 60’s where Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, is on a mission to follow her dreams. You Can’t Stop The Beat as she sets out to dance her way onto national TV with The Nicest Kids In Town. Tracy’s audition makes her a local star and soon she is using her new-found fame to fight for equality, bagging local heartthrob Link Larkin along the way!
West End or Touring theatre?
When you come to Hairspray you know what you are getting into, some cheesy tunes, a great storyline and some high energy dancing. When you come to see Hairspray on tour, there may be a little difference. You still get the same cheesy tunes, the same great story line, but you may not get the evening of high energy and attention to detail. Some moments just seemed to be lacking, whether it is technical moments, choreography that appears iffy or certain roles that just lack the life that other characters may have.
I have always been a believer that touring theatre, regional theatre and west end theatre are all of the same standard in terms of cating, set and costume. Of course there may be discrepancies if a show has been running for a long time, they may reinvest money into costumes or new sets and technologies to keep the show fresh and new. Shows such as Heathers had done this with small alterations to the costumes of the Heathers and Veronica, adding details like the zebra print cuffs. However, this show completely smashes this apart.
Not only did this show not feature some of the magic of the west end production, it also had a bit of a disappointing finish. The level of energy and finesse seemed to be a bit off.
Set pieces didn’t work, lighting states that were just all over the place and effects that seemed to go off at the wrong time. The acting was all fine. Some actors made a huge effort within their role, and others who seemed to feel comfortable knowing they had a lead role and didn’t really seem to try.
Why, oh why!
I want to take a moment to talk about Edna’s house. In the toured production, the house is a revealed set piece that is moved onto the stage and back behind a door.
This did not work once in the whole show. The transitions were always lagging behind. This sometimes meant that the audience could see into the house and also be in the middle of a television set at the same time. It just didn’t feel polished. And I don’t say this to be mean, but to me, if something is not working, take it out.
The lighting states on the windows were always weird. One random blue square when all the windows were red, for example. There just seemed to be a lot of issues. When we entered the auditorium at half, the lighting team ran the LX plot. It all seemed a bit rushed and last minute. That, for me, shouldn’t be the case. Especially when it comes to cost which we will talk about later, a show should be audience ready when in front of an audience unless it is a dress or tech run.
I do like to be a more positive reviewer but I found this production just seemed off. Having recently witnessed the West End version of this, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons. When the show is the same, the story is the same and the talent level is definitely there (they both seemed roughly equal) there shouldn’t be this noticeable shift (it was noticeable for me anyways).
Now it wasn’t all bad, in fact, far from it. This show was fun and camp and a brilliant night of entertainment. It was just a collection of small things that seemed easy to fix or simply not do.
Stand out stars!
A huge well done goes to Brenda Edwards, who played Motormouth Maybel. The belt, the control, the energy! Brenda Edwards was a stand out star. Just perfect! When Motormouth was on stage, you paid attention, Brenda Edwards controlled that stage and made sure you knew she was there. There was nothing that I would change about this character, this portrayal… just…….. WOW!
Katie Brace was another stand out star. Playing the role of Tracy Turnblad, Katie had one of the hardest jobs. Being the face of Hairspray with a lot of those iconic songs. Katie smashed it. With some great belts, some amazing vocal control and a character so full of energy, excitement and unexpected laughs, what more could you ask for?
Richard Meek, who played Corny Collins, was a bit of a weird stand out. In the best way, I didn’t really pay much mind to Corny when watching the film or the west end version. Sure I appreciated the talent but Richard Meek really took the role and made it something specifically noticeable. The voice was great, the dancing was great and the character just seemed to be full of so much energy that even the quiet lines or subtle side eyes seemed like major plot points.
Akeem Ellis-Hyman was full of energy and some great dancing. Akeem was the centre of his solo scenes, a perfect blend into the chorus and a great all round dancer. I did struggle with understanding the lyrics of the songs. The notes were hit, the sounds were there but I did not understand what was being said. I have seen this trend alot with performers recently. A lot of focus tends to go on hitting the note and being the most impressive but the singing is pointless if we can not hear the words being sung.
Ceris Hine was a brilliant female authority figure. Some great laughs came from Ceris’ interactions with the other characters on stage, and those one liners really added to the overall enjoyment of the piece.
Now onto the rating’s
Entertainment
This show was as entertaining as ever. Sure there were moments that completely ruined the immersive nature of theatre and it really did take me out of it, even as a regular in those seats. That doesn’t mean that it was a bad show. I just think those moments that don’t work should be removed. Would I see the tour version of this show again? Yes of course I would. It is fun, it’s cheesy, it has a strong message and is a great easy show to watch if you fancy a night of musical theatre. I would give the show three out of five stars for entertainment. It was entertaining, I had a fun night but I did find those errors a bit of a sticking point and it did make the transitions and immersiveness rather odd.
Value for money
This category is going to be a bit weird. So I will provide some context to help make it make sense. ATG (ambassadors theatre group) have a membership card like many do. Normally this gives you a ten pound discount on opening night. For Hairspray, I was able to get a 50% discount on the show on selected tiers of seats. So I was able to get a dress circle side seat for £17. This was instead of the £34 that each of those seats would normally cost. Do I think my seats and the show was worth £17? Yes. I would happily pay £17 to see this show again.
If the tech issues were ironed out and I was going to see a really well polished show, I would happily pay that to see it again. Would I pay £34 for that seat? I don’t think I would. When I saw the show in the West End I paid £20 for upper circle seats with a perfect view. To pay £34 for Sunderland Empire seats (not that I am arguing it is worse, but with the reputation of a West End theatre comes a west end price) is a bit steep. I’m used to sitting in the upper circle for Sunderland Empire theatre in the £13 price promise seats, so I get to see more theatre. I think I would have enjoyed the show just as much if I was sat up there as I did in my seats.
I guess the show is worth the money though, as you can see where the money is going. There are alot of costumes, effects (even if they didn’t always work), set pieces and cast on stage.
I give this production a four out of five for the value for money. I would pay what I paid again, but I would not pay full price for my seat when compared to the price of the show in the West End.
Accessibility
This show was not accessible, really. With sudden loud noises, some lighting effects throughout that were rather overwhelming and some sensory overload, this show isn’t the most accessible. Beginning the show with around 10 lights right in the audience’s eyes makes the show instantly too much. I had to take a moment to stop seeing light spots, it was a bit much. And then towards the end of act 1 and the end of the show, the percussion suddenly became a lot stronger with moments that had me jumping. Sure it’s fun and a laugh but to some it’s a bit much.
Again, it is unfortunate that I had seen the West End version, which was more accessible and less overwhelming. I have to give the show three stars out of five. It wasn’t unbearable for me, but it was a lot and I did look away at 3 points in the show where I literally could not see for a while.
The overall rating?
Overall I give the touring production of Hairspray the musical three out of five stars. The combination of over the top lighting cue’s shining in the eyes of the audience for long periods of time, the lack of energy, the tech errors with set transitions and the dodgy lighting states means this show was good, but not amazing. Yes there are some amazing people in the cast and crew and the talent on stage and behind the scenes is amazing. But what I saw as an audience member was a bit lacking. It was good but not great.
Have Your Say!
Have you seen Hairspray on tour? What did you think? Are you wanting to turn back time to the 60’s, or do you think you can live without love? Let me know in the comments and let’s get a discussion going.
As always, please be respectful of each other’s opinions and be kind to each other. I completely respect and value everyone that worked on this show. We need to remember that these are people with feelings. Let’s treat them with respect. Bullying will not be tolerated and harmful language will be removed.
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