'HAIRSPRAY' to Close Jan. 4th 2009, Fierstein Returns Nov. 11th

Confirming the long standing rumors, the producers of Hairspray, the hit Tony Award-winning Best Musical, have officially announced that the show will close at the Neil Simon Theatre after the performance on Sunday, January 4, 2009, after having played 2,641 performances and 31 previews.  Hairspray is the 19th longest running show in Broadway history and has currently grossed over $265 million during its Broadway run.

BroadwayWorld reported about the now widely known closing news on October 2nd, at that time we reached out to the show's Tony and Grammy Winning composer, Marc Shaiman to get his candid and emotional comments, which can be read here.

Hairspray, which had its world premiere at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre on June 12, 2002, is based upon the 1988 New Line film by John Waters, with a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.  Hairspray is directed by Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell.

The musical opened on Broadway August 15, 2002 to ecstatic reviews and later that season went on to win every major Best Musical award, including the Tony Award, New York Drama Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and the Outer Critics Circle Award.  In all Hairspray won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book of a Musical, Best Direction, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical, and Best Costume Design.

The original cast featured the return to Broadway of Harvey Fierstein after an absence of over twelve years.  Mr. Fierstein will reprise his Tony-winning performance as the dangerously devoted stage mother Edna Turnblad beginning Tuesday, November 11.

Hairspray also featured a star-making lead performance by Marissa Jaret Winokur as the cheery and unstoppable dancer-slash-integrationist Tracy Turnblad who won Tony, Drama Desk, and Theatre World awards for her performance.  It also featured a gallery of extraordinary supporting performers, including Laura Bell Bundy, Kerry Butler (Clarence Derwent Award), Mary Bond Davis, Linda Hart, Jackie Hoffman (Theatre World Award), Matthew Morrison, Corey Reynolds, Clarke Thorell, and Broadway veteran Dick Latessa who won Tony and Drama Desk awards for his performance.

Hairspray became one of the biggest entertainment stories of 2002 and was prominently featured in numerous publications and on many major television news and talk/variety shows.  Its cast was photographed by some of the world's top photographers, including Annie Leibovitz and Stephen Meisel-and featured in the pages of Vogue, Vanity Fair, New York, and Entertainment Weekly, among many others.

Stars from the world of television, film, and music joined the Hairspray cast at various times during its run, including Ashley Parker Angel, Lance Bass, Kathy Brier, Diana DeGarmo, Haylie Duff, Jenifer Lewis, Darlene Love, Jerry Mathers, Naturi Naughton, Aubrey O'Day, Alexa Vega, Bruce Vilanch, Paul Vogt, and George Wendt.

In 2007 the screen adaptation of Hairspray was released by New Line Cinema and featured an all-star cast that included John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Zac Efron, James Marsden, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, and Nikki Blonsky.  The film was a summer hit, grossing over $200 million worldwide, and another $100 million in domestic DVD sales.

The success of the film and the Broadway show has prompted New Line to engage original Hairspray creator John Waters to write a treatment for a sequel to the musical film, which would include new songs by Shaiman & Wittman, and is tentatively scheduled to be released in summer 2010.

In 2007 a production of Hairspray opened in London's West End, starring Michael Ball, and became an instant sensation, garnering rave notices and an unprecedented, record-breaking eleven Olivier Award nominations, winning four, including Best New Musical.  The Olivier win gave Hairspray a perfect score, winning the top musical prize in every British awards roundup, including the Evening Standard, Critics' Circle, and Whatsonstage awards-and bucking the London trend of giving short shrift to American hits.

The musical has been performed in many countries, including Argentina, Canada, China, Finland, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, and Switzerland.

In Hairspray it's 1962 - the '50s are out and change is in the air.  Baltimore's Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion--to dance.  She wins a spot on the local TV dance program, "The Corny Collins Show" and, overnight, is transformed from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity.  But can a trendsetter in dance and fashion vanquish the program's reigning princess, win the heart of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a television show without denting her 'do?  Only in Hairspray!  Welcome to the '60s!

Hairspray currently stars Marissa Perry as Tracy Turnblad, George Wendt as Edna Turnblad, Karen Mason as Velma Von Tussle, Tevin Campbell as Seaweed J. Stubbs, Charlotte Crossley as Motormouth Maybelle, Kate Loprest as Amber Von Tussle, Ken Marks as Wilbur Turnblad, Kevin Meaney as Male Authority Figure, Susan Mosher as Female Authority Figure, Constantine Rousouli as Link Larkin, Niki Scalera as Penny Pingleton, Clarke Thorell as Corny Collins and Melissa VanPelt as Inez.

For ticket information, phone Ticketmaster at 212-307-4100, or for group sales, phone 212-302-7000 or 800-677-1164.  Hairspray offers the ShowTrans system for foreign-speaking audience members in the following languages: French, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.  Same-day, lottery tickets are sold at the box office for seats in the first row of the orchestra.  For more information about Hairspray please consult the Hairspray website at www.hairsprayonbroadway.com.

Photo Credit Peter James Zielinski