NEW ‘HAIRSPRAY’ TOUR SPARKLES IN RELAUNCH
After 625 days of pandemic-related shutdown, Broadway San Diego relaunched its season of national touring shows at the San Diego Civic Theatre on Tuesday with the musical “Hairspray.”
Although “Hairspray” has been seen many times in San Diego since its 2002 Broadway premiere — both in tours at the Civic and on local theater stages — it feels brand new and perfectly engineered for this moment in time. San Diego is the first stop for this sparkly new touring production, which was given a fresh look and feel by Jack O’Brien, the former artistic chief of San Diego’s Old Globe, who won a Tony Award in 2003 for his work on “Hairspray.”
As always, “Hairspray” is a jubilant, effervescent and very funny musical with a great score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. But in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, it seems more timely than ever. And its theme of unifying positivity offers a nice break from the combative divisions that have scarred this country over the past five years.
Based on John Waters’ 1988 film of the same name, the musical is the 1962 tale of perky and plump Baltimore teenager Tracy Turnblad, who plots to integrate “The Corny Collins Show,” the city’s all-White TV dance party program. Her progressive ideas horrify the White status quo, but they’re welcomed by Motormouth Maybelle, who hosts the one show each month that a Black host and teen dancers are allowed on the air.
On Wednesday night, the near-capacity crowd at the Civic roared its support during moments of the story when the topic of equality was mentioned. But whenever the character of Motormouth Maybelle — played by Toneisha Harris, the season 18 runner-up on NBC’s “The Voice” competition series — began to sing, the crowd exploded, particularly during her inspiring civil rights-themed ballad “I Know Where I’ve Been.” Harris is a gifted singer who performs with both power and grace.
Another reality TV contestant, Andrew Levitt from season 11 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” wins hearts as Tracy’s mom, Edna Turnblad. Levitt, whose drag alter-ego is Nina West, plays the role of frumpy housewife Edna with vulnerability and subtlety. Niki Metcalf ’s ebullient performance as the ever-optimistic Tracy gives the show a relentless, bubbly energy. And Brandon G. Stalling is cool and confident as Black teen dance sensation Seaweed J. Stubbs.
The show looks smart, with colorful digital projections, fresh costumes and energetic dance numbers choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, who earned a 2003 Tony nod for his work. O’Brien has added a few topical touches for this tour, including a comic aside that winks at the turmoil of the 2020 election, and there’s even a funny local reference to the city of Escondido. But the show’s themes of prejudice, segregation and racism have always been there in the script, they just feel more timely now than ever.