Caroline Eiseman asTracy Turnblad and Greg Kalafatas as Edna Turnblad with the company in ‘Hairspray’ (Photo by Jeremy Daniel)
There’s no real need to dive deep into Hairspray. Not to take away from its story and message or its award-winning legacy, but the glory about the musical is its pure joy. Hairspray opened last Tuesday at Music Hall presented by Broadway Dallas and on Wednesday night, the upbeat music, the strong performances and bright colors were a welcome respite from the heat and — heck — the world even. The enthusiastic audience cheered from curtains up to curtains down and with the relentless energy by the cast, the ovations were deserved.
Caroline Eiseman carried the night as the show’s teenage heroine Tracy Turnblad. She delivered a spirited and charming performance that displayed her dancing, acting and singing skills all at once in almost every moment she was onstage. Representing the hometown, Red Oak native James Douglas Vinson understudied for Link Larkin. He was every bit the dashing 60s teen heartthrob with impressive vocal chops and incredible dancing flair. As Motormouth Maybelle, Deidre Lang was a vocal powerhouse.
Of course, the big catch to Hairspray is Tracy’s mother Edna played by a man. Greg Kalafatas gave a lively performance first as a somewhat defeated and isolated homemaker to embrace the outside world where Edna finds her own voice. Kalafatas doesn’t ever hide his gruff voice as mom but he so embodied Edna that she was all the audience could see.
The show centered on Tracy’s dream of getting on the Corny Collins Show, a teen dance show. However, it’s not integrated and Tracy and friends work to change that. The kids may not solve all the race issues, but in their moment, they save the day through dancing and singing and for a moment, we can think the world is an ok place.
The show runs through June 30.
–Rich Lopez