Matt Lenz News

After 6,596 wig changes, close to 60,000 wig pins fitted, 1,210 costume wash loads and 30 cans of prop hairspray, the Melbourne season of the 20th Anniversary Broadway production of Hairspray is set to close on October 30, with no further extension possible.

Hennepin Theatre Trust has announced that HAIRSPRAY, Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon, returns to Minneapolis next year as part of the 2022-2023 Bank of America Broadway on Hennepin season.

Broadway actress Jessica Hendy, (Cats, Aida, Amour) is bringing her own story to the stage in Walking with Bubbles, a new musical about the journey of a mother navigating her life after a shocking health crisis leaves her family in a vulnerable storm of chaos. The reading will be presented on October 24th and 25th at the AMT Theatre. 

All new photos and video have been released of the new cast of the North American tour of Hairspray, helmed by Jack O’Brien and Jerry Mitchell. Check out the clips and photos here!

Franklin Trapp, Producing Artistic Director for the Forestburgh Playhouse and Broadway veteran Matt Lenz, Festival Artistic Director and Director of Creative Development are thrilled over the reception of this year’s In The Works~In The Woods Festival which took place September 8 through 11. See photos here!

HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award®-winning musical comedy phenomenon, went on sale September 16, 2022 at 10 AM. This new North American tour, helmed by original director Jack O’Brien and original choreographer Jerry Mitchell, will play Friday, November 4 – Saturday, November 5, 2022 in Kalamazoo at Miller Auditorium. 

HAIRSPRAY, Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon, is on sale now! This new North American tour, helmed by original director Jack O'Brien and original choreographer Jerry Mitchell, will play November 8-13 in Columbus at the Ohio Theatre, presented by CAPA and PNC Broadway in Columbus. 

HAIRSPRAY, Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon, will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 8. This new North American tour, helmed by original director Jack O'Brien and original choreographer Jerry Mitchell, will play Tuesday, December 6 - Sunday, December 11 in Schenectady at Proctors.

OKC Broadway opens their fall season with the new tour of HAIRSPRAY. This is the Hairspray you know and love, with iconic musical numbers and higher than high hair dos. When teenaged Tracy Turnblad lands a spot on the Corny Collins show, she wants nothing more than to dance on TV with her friends. She and her gang set out to integrate the show.

Franklin Trapp, Producing Artistic Director for the Forestburgh Playhouse and Broadway veteran Matt Lenz, Festival Artistic Director and Director of Creative Development have announced casting for this year's In The Works~In The Woods Festival taking place September 8 through 11.

The HAIRSPRAY North American tour, helmed by Jack O'Brien and Jerry Mitchell, will kick off at The Carson Center in Paducah, KY, prior to visiting more than 55 cities in its second touring season. Get a first look inside rehearsals here!

Popejoy Presents and Haverland Carter Broadway in New Mexico has announced that tickets to HAIRSPRAY, Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon, will go on sale Thursday, August 25, 2022 at 10 a.m. This new North American tour, helmed by original director Jack O'Brien and original choreographer Jerry Mitchell, will play in Albuquerque at Popejoy Hall.

Hey Melbourne, welcome to the 60's! It's time to put on your most colourful and crazily patterned outfit, tease your hair big, bold, and beautiful, and head on down to the Regent Theatre. Hairspray is back and this time it's the original Broadway version of the musical! Having grown up listening to the original Broadway cast album, it was a sheer delight for a theatre nerd like me to see the original version of Hairspray here in Australia. Seeing this production's opening night performance which coincided exactly 20 years from Hairspray's Broadway premiere was also a big fat cherry on the top! While some elements of the original version do now feel slightly dated and some of this production's casting choices don't always allow Hairspray's vibrant characters to shine as brightly as one would like, you can't deny that this show is just so much fun. From the moment the show opens with 'Good Morning Baltimore' to the standing ovation worthy finale of 'You Can't Stop The Beat', Hairspray will put a smile on your face and have you dancing in your seat.

DPAC announced that HAIRSPRAY, Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon, will come to DPAC November 15-20, 2022, as part of Truist Broadway at DPAC's new season.   

Returning cast members Andrew Levitt aka Nina West (from “RuPaul's Drag Race”) as Edna Turnblad, Niki Metcalf as Tracy Turnblad, Sandie Lee as Motormouth Maybelle, Billy Dawson as Corny Collins, Ryahn Evers as Amber Von Tussle, Addison Garner as Velma Von Tussle, and Emery Henderson as Penny Pingleton will be joined by new principal cast members Charlie Bryant III as Seaweed J. Stubbs, Ralph Prentice Daniel as Wilbur Turnblad, Brayden Krikke as Link Larkin and Joi D. McCoy as Little Inez.

Ever wonder how new plays and musicals are born? Ever been curious about a playwright or a composer's process - or why they made the choices they did? If so, then In the Works~In the Woods at Forestburgh Playhouse is for you.

Fasten your seat belt, it’s going to be a grumpy ride! The iconic Alhambra Theater & Dining will produce the hit musical-comedy, Grumpy Old Men: The Musical.  and run through September 25.

HAIRSPRAY, Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon, helmed by original director Jack O'Brien and original choreographer Jerry Mitchell returns to Boston. 

Singapore’s most talented actors and actresses have been picked from a pool of over 300 applicants for the coveted roles of the six von Trapp children in the forthcoming Broadway production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Sands Theatre from 22 November 2022.

Forestburgh Playhouse has announced the premiere of El Otro Oz, a bi-lingual musical inspired by The Wizard of Oz, with performances June 17 -19 on the Playhouse Mainstage.