By Brandon Stauffer and Charlene Adams
Hairspray with book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman, based on the film of the same name, is set in 1962 in Baltimore, where the lovable plus-size teen, Tracy Turnblad, has only one desire – to dance on the popular “Corny Collins Show.” When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star. She must use her newfound power to dethrone the reigning Teen Queen, win the affections of heartthrob, Link Larkin, and integrate a TV network… all without denting her ‘do!
The Syracuse Arts Council has been producing quality community theatre productions for their citizens for many years, and this show is no different. You walk into Syracuse High School and are immediately met with 60’s themed décor, amazing volunteers, and a great table of silent auctions that shows you not only are you about to see a well put together show; you are in a city that supports the arts and that matters.
The show starts with the voice of MotorMouth Maybelle asking you to turn off your cellphones and join the cast in 1962. From that moment on, the show delivers. Director Leanna Hamblin brings together a HUGE ensemble and stellar leads that never stop working from the first song to the bows. Hamblin uses the large stage well to give the audience placement of each scene. The choreography by Jamie Godfrey and Mindy Talbot is enough to make anyone want to get up and dance in the aisle. Godfrey and Talbot give a lot to the show through choreography by helping the audience see the difference in movement style from the different ensembles. A stand out in the production is the costume design. The costumes designed by Rebecca Howe are absolutely stunning. Stand out costumes are the costumes for Edna and Motormouth. Howe brought together hundreds of costumes to show the audience class, race, and, most of all, fun. As the show really gets moving, so does the set. Set designer Jen Rowbury is able to use multilevel sets that roll on and off stage seamlessly and compliment the show perfectly. A stand out set for us was the Turnblad house with beautiful texture and painting on the walls, it left us wanting to see a whole house done by the set designer.
The cast is large, bigger than most community theatres have the guts to take on. But Director Hamblin does it with room to spare! Watching the cast seamlessly transition from location to location and from number to number shows great experience and most of all you could see this cast was having fun giving their all to this show. Hannah Beames as Tracy Turnblad is fun, energetic, and a delight to listen to. Beames does a great job welcoming us to her life in “Good Morning, Baltimore”. We loved Rylee Jensen’s performance of the geeky Penny, Tracy’s BFF; she is simply hysterical and always in character. Beames and Nash Krutsch (Seaweed) are the perfect example of love and acceptance as they confess their love to each other in “Without Love”. Cameron Ropp plays the heartthrob Link Larkin. This energetic young man has the look for the role and keeps up with Tracy well in their duet “Without Love”. Jake Swensen as Edna wisely doesn’t try to imitate the huge presence that Harvey Fierstein gave her in the original Broadway production. Rather Swensen knows how to get laughs yet he is believable as Tracey’s mother. Swensen delivers several effective moments, especially in his duet with Russell Lynch (Wilbur) the love song duet “Timeless To Me” —a tribute to old-time vaudevillian tradition. Tara Bruce (Velma Von Tussle) is the one you love to hate. Bruce shows us just the right amount of snark and conceit as Velma Von Tussle in her lament “Miss Baltimore Crabs”. Bruce is a force to be reckoned with in “Velma’s Revenge” with her powerhouse vocals. Savannah Brown (Amber Von Tussle) looks so pretty and sweet but reveals to us that she really knows how to play the mean girl. Wyatt Welch plays Corny Collins so well that we were brought right back to the 60’s watching Dick Clark on Bandstand on Saturday morning. Welch’s vocals are spot on and he shines for the ‘camera’. Seante Nielsen as Motormouth makes an impression with the song “Big, Blonde, and Beautiful,” where she convinces Edna and Tracy’s father Wilbur to join in the march. Motormouth always speaks in verse and must be played carefully to avoid seeming silly, and Nielsen delivers.
As with every community theater production, there are some bobbles and things that aren’t perfect, but Syracuse’s community has obviously spent a lot of time working on this show and those in the community will enjoy their hard work. However, we did struggle with several of the technical issues—sound most particularly.
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The ensemble is large and just what you would expect from this energetic, community cast. It’s so inspiring to see a community come together and bring this timeless story of love and acceptance to life in Syracuse Arts Council’s Hairspray. Put your hair in a ponytail and grab your dancin’ shoes and come on over!
Syracuse Arts Council presents Hairspray, by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman
July 12-16, 2018 7:30 PM
Running time is approximately two and a half hours with one intermission.
Tickets: $7-9
Contact: 801-510-5347, info@syracuseutaharts.org
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