Interview: Eden Franco Talks HAIRSPRAY at Maine Street Music Theatre
Eden Franco in MSMT’s HAIRSPRAY Franco Makes Regional, Maine, and Role Debuts as Tracy Turnblad
When HAIRSPRAY begins its run at Maine State Music Theatre on June 3, the new revival, created as a co-production with Lancaster’s Fulton Theatre, will be an evening of professional firsts for its young star, Eden Franco, who plays the demanding role of the musical’s protagonist, Tracy Turnblad. For Franco, who was graduated from college only two years ago, this production marks her first professional contract, her first experience in regional theatre, her debut in Maine, and her role debut in the Marc Shaiman-Scott Wittman musical.
But, as Franco recalls, “I have always loved HAIRSPRAY. I grew up watching the original [John Waters] movie and the [John Travolta] remake. I saw the stage show on tour, and I have always been drawn to it and the character of Tracy. The role is a marathon that can be compared to Elphaba, for example. She is onstage for almost the entire show, and the role requires crazy physical and vocal strength. Growing up, I loved seeing a character who looked like me on stage; it made me feel I could do that – act, dance, sing – too. But, I could also relate to her perseverance. I am a strong minded girl, and a lot of Tracy is reminiscent of who I am as a person. So, it has been nice to feel challenged by the physicality of the part, but feel at home in the singing and dialogue. I feel so very much myself doing the part, and that is really nice!”
Though this production is Franco’s first professional gig as an actor, she recounts how music and musical theatre have always been part of her life. “I come from a musical family. My mom is a cantor; my Dad’s sister was an opera singer, and my grandmother was a ballet dancer, and being raised in New York (Long Island), I had the opportunity to see many Broadway shows. I played piano from an early age, have perfect pitch and can sight read easily.”
Franco says she was always performing for fun from a young age, but it was only in high school that she considered seriously pursuing a career. “The thing I really wanted to do at first in high school was to play soccer. Our team was very good, and we traveled all over for matches. Then in my junior year of high school, the soccer team fell apart. I thought, ‘What am I going to do now?’ I joined the cast for the musical, THE LITTLE MERMAID. I played Sebastian, the frog. And after that, I continued to be involved in the school’s theatre and musicals”
“When it came time to go to college, I started at Syracuse University as a major in Theatre Management. But it was not long before I realized that I needed to be ON stage. I had to perform. So I transferred to NYU, which really had been my dream school all along. I earned a Bachelor of Music degree with concentrations in Vocal Performance and Musical Theatre. My first year there was during Covid, which was challenging for performers. I remember practicing ballet with my desk chair as a barre in my room in a local hotel. Fortunately, by my sophomore year, we had returned to in-person learning.”
“It was an amazing program. I was cross trained in classical and contemporary singing as well as musical theatre; I sang everything from opera to rock to Broadway.” Franco also continued her piano and music theory studies, which have enabled her to work not only as a singer, but also as a music director., something she did professionally her first summer after graduation in Indianapolis. Franco finds that the skills required to be a musician have enriched her work as a vocal performer. “Being able to read music quickly, for example, is invaluable.” And she thinks that the leadership skills required of a music director are also useful tools for the actor. “Working in a leadership role as Music Director has helped me to work with other people in a respectful way and to be [nimble] on my feet no matter what is thrown at me.”
The conversation turns to the present production of HAIRSPRAY, directed and choreographed by Kenny Ingram. Franco waxes enthusiastic about Ingram and his Assistant Director/Choreographer Christopher Page-Sanders. “Kenny is wonderful, amazing! We bonded immediately.” She describes Ingrams’s process for choreography often asks Page-Sanders to block a number before he takes over and begins connecting the feelings and motivations of the characters to the movements. “For instance, the Bandstand kids are a little stiff and [conscious] while performing, while the record shop kids are moving from the soul,” Franco says. “He makes sure we are all moving as a cohesive unit. There is so much about separation and segregation in the show that Kenny has made it his mission to make sure we are all feeling connected to each other on stage and off.” Franco adds that Ingram takes a “very collaborative approach on all fronts, and that definitely works well for this show.”
As a musician, Franco loves the entire Shaiman-Wittman score. “It has everything a Broadway show needs: spectacle, big singing, authentic 60s vibe, all perfectly written for each of the individual characters.” Her own favorite number to sing is “I Can Hear the Bells.” “It’s very funny. I get to drag Link around like a little doll, and I get to add some “Edenisms” so it feels most like me.”
Franco also enjoys the period vibe of the piece. Not only has she watched both movies to give herself context, but she has also listened to singers of the period like Connie Francis, but she says she has been careful not to imitate the work of her predecessors in the role. “My Tracy is me, not an imitation of anyone else.”
Asked what some of the deeper undercurrents of HAIRSPRAY are, Franco replies, “There are themes of body positivity and messages about racisim and segregation. Even though the musical is a fictional story wrapped around history, Kenny wanted to make sure the audience knows what was happening in reality. We have this incredible moment in our production when Tarra Connor Jones [Motormouth Maybelle] sings “I Know Where I’ve Been.” She has the voice of an angel, and it’s incredible what she does with this song. We have projections running while she’s singing showing Lyndon Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act and other unforgettable moments of history. And the audience realizes that even though this is a musical with lots of heart, bright costumes and colors, it is real. People have been giving the number a standing ovation [in the middle of the act] every night in Lancaster. Every time that happens, it makes me believe and hope in humanity,” Franco affirms.
Eden Franco looks forward to sharing this HAIRSPRAY with Maine theatre lovers next. She is moved by the public’s reactions and by the connectedness she feels with her cast mates and the audience. She hopes that MSMT audiences will take away the message in HAIRSPRAY that most inspires her: “that no matter what you look like, you can still feel connected to the people around you. With racism, hate, and hate speech rampant today, I hope people see these [for what they are] and ask themselves how they can be like Tracy, who is the one to say, ‘this is wrong and I want to start changing things.’ Even if they do not necessarily choose action as Tracy does, hopefully, at least, they will realize that they do not have to say negative things and act hurtfully toward those who are different from themselves. [And, hopefully,] HAIRSPRAY will help them feel they can accept others.”
Photos courtesy of MSMT
HAIRSPRAY runs from June 3 -June 20, 2026 at MSMT’s Pickard Theater on the campus of Bowdoin College, 1 Bath Rd., Brunswick, ME www.msmt.org 207-725-8769
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