Starring Maddie Baillilo, Harvey Fierstein, Martin Short, and Jennifer Hudson
Directed by Kenny Leon and Alex Rudzinski
Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyrics by Scott Whitman
Buoyed by the success of Grease Live! on Fox that January, NBC turned to another high-energy, teen-oriented property that had been a popular movie. The film version of Hairspray only came out a decade before and was still fairly fresh in the minds of many viewers...but it also made quite a few changes from the original Broadway show and dropped several songs. This was a more faithful rendition of the Broadway production that even retained its original Edna Turnblad, Harvey Fierstein. How well did it work out? Let's start on the streets of Baltimore in 1962, as Edna's plus-sized daughter Tracy (Maddie Baillio) heads off to school, and find out...
The Story: Tracy and her best friend Penny Pingleton (Ariana Grande) are crazy about The Corny Collins Show, a local dance program that has teens gyrating to recent hits. Tracy's through the moon when a spot opens up on the show and she's able to audition. Neither she nor Penny can get past the show's producer Velma Von Tussle (Kristin Chenowith), who prefers all her dancers to be slim, pretty, and white, like her daughter Amber (Dove Cameron).
Thanks to the sexy moves she learns from her new black friend Seaweed (Ephraim Sykes) that's spotted at a school dance, she does manage to get on the show. Her provocative dances make her the talk of the town. Even Edna (Fierstein) leaves her laundry business to become her manager. She's even happier when she manages to get the attention of handsome Link Larkin (Garrett Clayton), whom she has a huge crush on. She still wants all her friends to dance together on more than just the show's "Negro Day," though, and is willing to give up her popularity if it means everyone, regardless of their size or skin color, has a chance to dance.
The Song and Dance: Some good performances and the candy-box sets and costumes anchor this high-energy treat. The gorgeous rainbow of pastels at the studio and down-and-dirty primaries at the Turnblads' home and Motormouth Maybelle's shop were so spot-on, they were nominated for Emmys. (And the sets and - rather appropriately - the hairstyles won.)
I'm glad to see Fierstein finally get a chance to play Edna here. He has a great time showing how Edna comes out of his shell and pairs nicely with a manic Short. Kristin Chenowith and Dove Cameron play a villainous mother and daughter for the second time in a TV musical; Chenowith is so much fun, she even gets an addition number added just for her.
Favorite Number: We kick off as Tracy wishes "Good Morning Baltimore" and joins the local kids and characters as she hurries off to school. "Mama I'm a Big Girl Now" makes its full screen debut in a split-screen number as Tracy, Penny, and Amber explain to their mothers why they disobey their wishes. Chenowith leaps into her two big numbers, "The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs" as she recalls her past beauty pageant triumphs at the audition and "Velma's Revenge" after Tracy is a hit and she's imagining everything she'd do to her newest star if she could.
"Welcome to the 60's" returns to its original contours as Edna and Tracy revel in becoming the hippest plus-sized ladies in the South. "Without Love" also gets its original lyrics back, covering Tracy's escape from prison and Seaweed freeing Penny from her mother's tying her to the bed. Jennifer Hudson knocks over a searing "I Know Where I've Been" right before they invade the Miss Hairspray show.
"Cooties" is another number making its film debut. Amber and the so-called Nicest Kids In Town insult Tracy at the Miss Hairspray Contest in song and dance to lower her numbers, so Amber will get the crown. Everyone comes together for "You Can't Stop the Beat" as the cast, including Chenowith, Cameron, and Fierstein popping out of the oddest place you can imagine. Grande and Hudson get their 60's rock concert on as the rest of the cast whirls over the credits to their "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)."
Trivia: "Velma's Revenge" was written for the film, but not used. "Ladies Choice" and "Come So Far" were taken from the film.
Look for original 1989 screen Tracy Ricki Lake and 2002 stage Tracy Marissa Janet Winokur as Mr. Pinky's (Sean Hays) assistants during "Welcome to the 60's."
What I Don't Like: Unfortunately, most of the kids aren't up to their adult counterparts. Garrett Clayton makes for an especially dull Link and has no chemistry with Baillio. Baillio is a sweetheart and tries hard, but she has a hard time calling up the energy needed for this show. Grande's a popular singer, but she's no comedienne and only wakes up during her musical numbers. And ironically for a show about integrating black and white performers, Sykes as Seaweed and Shahadi Wright Joseph as his sister Little Inez don't get nearly as much screen time as the white kids and adults.
The Big Finale: While I liked the 2007 film slightly more, this one has a few of its own charms, including Fierstein recreating his iconic role and several songs that didn't make it into the movie.
Home Media: Easy to find on disc and streaming, including currently for free on Peacock.
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