Good Morning Baltimore!!
With a pink carpet, big hair and lots of backcombing, Liverpool’s Herbert the hairdresser spiced up the main launch night of one of the sassiest musicals in town last night (Wednesday). Hairspray has hit the Liverpool Empire and it’s got everything you’d expect from a Broadway Musical – and more! The feel-good show set in1962 tells the story of young and ambitions teenage Tracey Turnblad, who dreams of one day dancing on The Corny Collins Show - and she won’t let the fact she is a curvy girl stop her from trying.

The night belonged to Dina Tree who played Tracy. The Essex girl was the walking cover as the lead actress was unwell on the night – and she couldn’t have done a better job. She portrayed an adorable Tracey throughout the performance, with the audience falling in love with her from the first line of the first song. Michael Starke played Edna Turnblad and Les Dennis her husband Wilbur – and as always, the pair brought their much-loved Scouse humour to the stage raising the roof with their adlibbing in a romantic husband and wife scene.

Michael told Seen Magazine in July that he had been practicing his walking in heels and he wanted to show real justice to the role of playing a woman – and this he did. In fact I was rather jealous of his capability to dance, sing and keep in rhythm while wearing the stacks! The entire cast were polished, snappy and hilarious, and I believe have placed a bold stamp on the map for Liverpool’s show scene. Now I may be admitting this late – but until last night I was a Hairspray virgin (the musical not the product) – and I finally get why this show is so huge all around the world – whatever your plans for the summer, make room for Hairspray – they are the nicest kids in town!

Seen Score – 10/10 – A night to remember!

Hairspray facts...

• There are 175 wigs used in Hairspray, with each wig handmade with loving care and attention for each cast member.

• The cast get through an astonishing 80 cans of Hairspray a week!

• At London’s Shaftesbury Theatre, HAIRSPRAY ran to critical acclaim for over 1000 performances over 2 ½ years, to over a million people and took £50 million at the box office, becoming the theatre’s most successful and longest running production in 40 years.

• The incredible transformation into Edna Turnblad takes just over 2 hours for each performance.

• A touring team of over 60 people make up the cast and crew of HAIRSPRAY.

• The production travels in 7 trailers, carrying around 13.8 tonnes of equipment and uses nearly 8 miles of cable.

• International productions of HAIRSPRAY include New York, London, Toronto, Las Vegas, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, China, Korea, Scandinavia, Germany and Australia.

Performance Details:
Hairspray Liverpool Empire Theatre

7.30pm Mon-Sat, Wed & Sat mat 2.30pm

17 August – 4 September 2010

Tickets £18.50 - £43.50
For tickets call 0844 847 2525
Book online at http://www.liverpoolempire.org.uk or call into the Empire box office