The Directors Chair: Adam Shankman's Hairspray Diary #1

MEETING ON THE JOB

"God, I hope I get it…"  These words have never rang more true for me.  I just "met" on HAIRSPRAY, the movie adaptation of the Broadway show.  Here's a little history:

• I met Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman in 1988, (the year, weirdly, that the John Waters classic, was released).  Marc was playing piano for the Broadway show, HARLEM NOCTURNE, a review.  Scott was directing shows at Danceteria and some cabaret acts.  I was waiting tables at El Rio Grande, a restaurant on 3rd Avenue, between 37th and 38th.  We met through Marc Sendroff, Marc and Scott's attorney, who also was a business associate of my dads.

• I was around (just starting my film directing career…weird), when they were asked to write the score to the Broadway adaptation. I was jealous.  I went to the tryouts in Seattle.  It was mind blowing. I was seething with admiration and jealousy. I just wanted to be a part of this.  I'm a reasonably thin Jew who somehow always feels like a fat girl who wants to dance.
• I've randomly decided that my choreographic specialty is dance from the 60's, just because I was born in the 60's.  Convenient!

I am one of the four Director/Choreographers that I know of who works in Hollywood.  They are all colleagues and friends.  Kenny Ortega, Rob Marshall, Anne Fletcher and me.  I don't think that the others are available, so I should get it, right? (I just keep telling myself that…).  I told Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the Producers, how passionate I was, on top of which they are aware of my relationship with Marc and Scott and Leslie Dixon, whom they had hired to adapt the script.  I told the studio and the producers and the studio execs (including Mark Kaufman who worked on the play) how I didn't want to play the message, just the characters.  How more than anything, the comedy was essential and how I'd rather drink a crushed-glass smoothie than let anyone else choreograph the movie.

More tomorrow with Entry #2...