Alexa Vega Joins Hairspray Cast February 13th

The producers of Hairspray, winner of eight 2003 Tony Awards^® including Best Musical, have announced that Alexa Vega will take over the role of Penny Pingleton on Tuesday, February 13, at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre, 250 West 52 Street.

Alexa Vega has been working since the age of four when she landed the role of Burt Reynolds's daughter in the acclaimed television series, "Evening Shade."  In addition to starring in the Spy Kids trilogy, Ms. Vega has also appeared in the films Twister, as the young Helen Hunt, Little Giants, Nine Months, Ghosts of Mississippi, Deep End of the Ocean, Sleepover, and State's Evidence.  Her television credits include "Ladies Man," opposite Alfred Molina, "ER," "Chicago Hope," and the lead in the Lifetime feature, "Odd Girl Out."  She was most recently seen starring in the HBO film, "Walkout," and just completed the independent film, The Beautiful Ordinary.

Hairspray is based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters, who serves as a creative consultant on the musical comedy.  It features a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, and a score by five-time Academy Award nominee Marc Shaiman (who co-wrote the music and lyrics for the acclaimed animated musical, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut) and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman.  Hairspray is directed by Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell; scenic design is by David Rockwell; costume design is by William Ivey Long; lighting design is by Kenneth Posner; and sound design is by Steve C. Kennedy.

Hairspray, which celebrates its fifth anniversary on Broadway in August 2007, is the winner of eight 2003 Tony Awards, including best musical, best actor (Harvey Fierstein), best actress (Marissa Jaret Winokur), best featured actor (Dick Latessa), best score (Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman), best book (Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan), best director (Jack O'Brien), and best costume design (William Ivey Long).Hairspray also swept every one of the year's best musical awards, winning, in addition to the Tony, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, and the Drama League Award.