Hairspray Review

I don’t quite know how to write a review for this show. This was my first live musical since the start of the pandemic and only the second show in a year and a half. The evening was filled with meaning and joy and relief, and made for an unforgettable theatre-going experience as a result, almost regardless of the actual show itself. But that’s what you’re here to read about so let's do this!

Hairspray will never be a magnificent musical in my book. It doesn’t have musical excellence, nor writing acumen, not even choreographic greatness. But what it does, it does very well, and it's solid through and through. Light and joyful, it tackles heavy and important matters in a way that coaxes the viewer’s agreement rather than demand their acquiescence.

As I am starting to expect from productions at the London Coliseum, the cast was absolutely stellar vocally, not a single note out of place and each character beautifully cast. Lizzie Bea’s Tracy held the weight of the show effortlessly, along with the other main characters. But the limelight was benevolently stolen by Marisha Wallace, whose Motormouth Maybelle brought the house down in every single solo. Michael Ball was the big draw and, though the role doesn’t really allow his stupendous voice to truly shine, he embraced the camp and was hilarious (he did win an Olivier for his Edna Turnblad in 2008 after all!). His number with Les Dennis was an exquisite example of why nothing compares to live theatre: they fed off the audience, milking the comedic pauses expertly, and having us all in tears of laughter.

As a show, I found it lagged a little in the middle, the unrelenting energy somehow tiring rather than buoying us on. However, the opening of the second act had me grinning from the get-go, what with its nod to both Chicago and Sweet Charity in the staging and choreography - nicely done, folks, nicely done. Not having seen the stage version before, I can't be sure just how many little quips at current events were part of this particular incarnation, but it was hard to miss Mrs Pingleton's entrance via the audience, hissing in terror "Who are all these people wearing masks?!"; a brilliant way to have a laugh at the elephant in the room and dispel any tension.

But this was an evening to remember, not for the music or the dance, but for the vibe. The theatre positively vibrated with joy, a communal happiness in all being there once again, from the cast, the crew, the audience, even the theatre staff. It was one of those shared experiences that are hard to convey in words; you had to be there! It came as no surprise, after a night of whopping and spontaneous applause after every number and half the reprises, that the whole audience got on their feet for the bows. We clapped, we cheered, we danced and laughed and cried, the feeling of gratitude over being back palpable. You could see in the faces of the performers how much it meant to them too. In the end, after the safety reminders, Michael Ball said it best: "Because we're not a football match; we're the West End and we're back!".

Conclusion: Absolutely!

Hairspray opened at the London Coliseum in June 2021, after a year's delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic.