The iconic musical Hairspray has been revitalized with the legendary drag icon Nina West aka Andrew Levitt as Edna Turnblad
I recently attended the fabulous Opening Night of HAIRSPRAY at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. This all-new touring production has been revitalized with the casting of RuPaul’s Drag Race Icon Andrew Levitt as Edna Turnblad (aka drag queen Nina West) along with the refreshingly talented new comer Niki Metcalf as Tracy Turnblad. Every time Niki was singing she was giving me Marissa Jaret Winokur vibes, she was so good!
HAIRSPRAY is the story of the bubbly and self-confident curvaceous teen Tracy Turnblad, who lives in Baltimore with her unconventional family during the 1960s. Tracy and her best friend Penny are enamored by TV’s most popular singing and dancing show and Tracy decides to try out for the show in spite of how different she is then everyone else on the show.
This new North American touring production of HAIRSPRAY is lead by the original director Jack O’Brien and the original choreographer Jerry Mitchell and features all the beloved hit songs like “Welcome to the 60’s,” “Good Morning Baltimore” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”
Even though I have seen this fun-filled musical many times before, this revitalized production allowed me to truly appreciate the timely and relevant messages of inclusion, diversity and standing up for what you believe in no matter what obstacles stand in your way! And this message was only enhanced by the encouraging and cheering audience, many of whom were dressed in drag and were there because they are fans of Nina West!
HAIRSPRAY is even more relevant today than it was when it first burst onto the scene years ago and I especially loved how the campy Nina West as Edna infused new life into this production in order to appeal to younger modern audiences. If you love musicals and want to elevate your mood, tap your toes and sing along to the uplifting energetic musical score, go see HAIRSPRAY at the Dolby Theatre before it dances away in a couple of weeks!
Hairspray is now playing at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood through May 21, 2023. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets!
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