By Joel Applegate
The chorus is big and in tune, the choreography by Ashley Rader Ramsey is oh-so-doo-wop and the action flows swiftly under the direction of David Beach, completing his senior project for UVU.
That’s Hairspray at The Draper Historic Theatre, an apt venue for this throw-back dance party. The good crowd at last night’s opening evinced jitters in the house by excited friends of the cast, an emotion reflected back to them from stage. Corky Collins, well-voiced by Jared Daley, got the mirror-ball spinning at the center of Hairspray’s set piece, a teenage dance show on TV reminiscent Dick Clark’s old “Bandstand.”
Draper Historic Theatre (DHT) is a small old movie house, kind of charming, if worn, but I don’t care. I’ve always had a soft spot for old movie houses. This spunky troupe is a non-profit house, eligible for your tax-deductible donations, and worth every one of your heavenly pennies.
DHT gives us a Hairspray a little stiff in places (see what I did there?), but the important themes of acceptance and equality are never lost even when we wish we could just be dancing up there with the kids. An exuberant ensemble is just what Hairspray calls for and DHT delivers. I’d forgotten that this show is so full of lots of good, happy, catchy tunes. The afore-mentioned Jared Daley also does double duty as the music director wrangling a chorus that never misses a note. Ramsey’s complimentary dance moves are especially charming on “Big Girl Now.”
Photos by Ring Lite Photography
The set is simple and representative, designed by Casey Price. He took us to Baltimore, though I felt the set construction itself could have been given a more rigorous execution. While we’re on the subject of production, another designer deserving kudos is Dana Anquoe (doing double duty in the role of Maybelle). This retro show is a challenge for any costumer, and Anquoe pulls off a nifty trick with her hip and flattering wardrobe. I had to laugh when our heroine, Tracy Turnblat, is revealed at the top of the second act in chic, sparkly prison stripes.
Before I get to the performances themselves, a caveat is unfortunately necessary. The soundtrack music accompanying the vocal was over-modulated throughout the show. This is a technical problem I hope will be solved early during this short run. It affected chorus and single voices equally. It was simply too loud throughout the show, in addition to which microphones frequently tended to cut out, leaving the audience unable to hear lyrics critical to plot and character. It was, I guess, just bad luck, but the whole show was marred by this obvious glitch.
That said, as Tracy, Jackki Ryann Ruiz’s opening number “Good Morning Baltimore” came across as a little too tame. We couldn’t hear her, and we don’t get to see Ruiz’s exuberant spirit until later in the show, noticeably when she’s speaking, instead of singing. Under the circumstances, I would advise Jackki to forget about whether her mic is working and just belt it, baby!
When Jared Daley opens the show as Corny Collins, his mic blared with re-verb. Nevertheless, he’s an engaging MC. Using his strong voice, this actor displayed effortless control. Another character we are introduced to early is Edna Turnblat, Tracy’s mom, disguised as Adam Cannon. Cannon has a few great lines and drew a big laugh on “My little girl, regular at last.” Adam is the right fit for the part, but I’d like to have seen him relax a bit more and just commit to the fun of it, belting the tunes and letting the devil care where the notes land. {You got this, Adam!}
As Penny, Tracy’s “bestie,” Camille Swenson is just the right combo of ditzy and skill with a line. She really nails the character, plus the girl can sing. “Run and Tell That” is among the better numbers in the show with Penny and DJ Luna as Seaweed. And demonstrating that old theater adage, that there are no small parts, we’re treated to a nice turn by Adrie Twede as Little Inez. Daniel Tomlinson as Tracey’s Dad, Wilbur, is confident and goofy. His duet with Edna, “You’re Timeless to Me”, is fun and sweet, despite bad sound overwhelming both voices.
Tracy’s heart-throb, Link Larkin, genuinely has a great voice. Coulson Bingham is agile and performs at a professional level, delivering great vocals and enjoying sending up his own image – a sincere performance with a knowing wink. As stand-outs, Link and Penny had the right level of energy consistently throughout the show.
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In a sense, Hairspray is the coming-of-age story of Tracy, who just wants to dance, but has to break down barriers and learn a little about life to do it. But for my money, the show’s moral center is in the person of Dana Anquoe’s Motermouth Maybelle: “You can’t get lazy when things start gettin’ crazy.” Even though it seems Draper’s theater community is not diverse enough to find a woman of color for the role, Anquoe’s great voice paints in all colors. Unfortunately, in trying to be heard above the over-modulated playback, she tended toward sharp on occasion. Despite this, the “Big Doll House” number was a hoot.
Overall, the great message of this show is regrettably timely, since America’s race problems are once again grabbing headlines. Let’s hope Hairspray grabs our conscience, too. As Tracy says, “The kids on the show should look like the kids who watch the show.” But Hairspray is not all seriousness by any means. Come see Draper Historic Theatre’s production and have fun being reminded that all in love is fair.
Draper Historic Theatre
12366 South 900 East, Draper, Utah
March 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 23, 27 & 28 at 7:00 pm, with a matinee at 2 pm on March 21st.
Box Office 801.572.4144
General Admission: $10; Seniors, Students, Military, Children: $7.
Reserved Seating in 1st Four Front Rows: $12 and $9
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