NETworks is bringing back Hairspray tour in 2020

[hairspraydude1962]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdWj3pL295c

You can't stop the beat!

[DoTheDood]

Is this the UK tour that was already announced or is this for the US?

[hairspraydude1962]

It's for the US.

[RippedMan]

#NonEq

[Famebroadway2]

Some of the cast members from the last non-eq tour of Hairspray are currently on Broadway, so don’t hate.

[RippedMan]

No hate intended to the cast!

[GavestonPS]

The last non-Equity tour came here to Palm Springs, CA. I wouldn't have known they were non-union from their performances; I only knew because I had read as much in advance.

[BwayLB]

No way! I always loved Jerry Mitchell's chreography

[fashionguru_23]

We don't know yet if this is Equity or not, right? NETworks does put out some Equity tours.

[AEA AGMA SM]

fashionguru_23 said: "We don't know yet if this is Equity or not, right? NETworks does put out some Equity tours."

Correct, and we probably won't know until they start casting and we see the audition notices/breakdowns.

[ACL2006]

Will this sell? Feels like every regional & community theater in the US has done the show already.

[Mike Barrett]

I could see this doing some week long to 2 week stops in major cities, and then a lot of 1-2 nighters/weekends too

[fashionguru_23]

ACL2006 said: "Will this sell? Feels like every regional & community theater in the US has done the show already."

If they recreate the original staging and design, I feel like it could use that as an advantage. 

[RippedMan]

I feel like this will be non-eq

[Luminaire2]

I'm always trying to understand the Eq/Non Eq debate. I totally get that the union supports Actors, ensures they get paid fairly etc... But is there not a place for both? A lot of actors get their start in non-equity semi professional productions... Is Equity the only answer? I've seen plenty of amazing non-equity productions.

[RippedMan]

As someone who has been f—d over by producers, I think Equity is great, and I do think the quality of the production is vastly different. Just check out the First National of Kinky Boots compared to the tour now. It sucks too that audiences are paying the same price for both, when the quality isn’t there either in the production or in the pit. It’s not a diss at the actors at all.

[Jjdenison22]

I have watched equity and non-equity tours and you can either act/dance/sing or you can’t. The issue, for me at least, is that non-equity generally pay the cast far lower, have scaled down cheaper sets, but charge the same ticket price!

[singer234]

There are a ton of non-eq tours going out that are sort of “semi” recreations- Xanadu is going out non eq, Rock of Ages is now, Legally Blonde has that tour that went to China. I wonder if Hairspray is more in line with these, due to the announcement of the London production which we know will be a recreation of the original and seems like a bigger event than this tour.

[Bettyboy72]

If they want to get butts in the seats for this old chestnut, they should consider some non-traditional drag casting, like Jinxx Monsoon for Velma. They really have the opportunity to do some interesting casting and freshen the show up. This show has not been begging for a tour yet IMHO. 

[darreyl102]

Bettyboy72 said: "If they want to get butts in the seats for this old chestnut, they should consider some non-traditional drag casting, like Jinxx Monsoon for Velma. They really have the opportunity to do some interesting casting and freshen the show up. This show has not been begging for a tour yet IMHO."

I saw a jinx in the role, and I thought she was not very good. I was actually pretty disappointed because I was very excited for a drag queen to play the part but I felt like she made it more a joke than an actual full fledged developed character. 

[CATSNYrevival]

Bring back The Full Monty next. It’s time.

[darreyl102]

Bettyboy72 said: "If they want to get butts in the seats for this old chestnut, they should consider some non-traditional drag casting, like Jinxx Monsoon for Velma. They really have the opportunity to do some interesting casting and freshen the show up. This show has not been begging for a tour yet IMHO."

However if they want to go non-traditional casting, Alex Newell would absolutely slay motormouth Maybelle. 

[Tag]

It's like y'all forgetting Edna is drag-cast...

[broadwayguy2]

Oh, lord.

Here we go with the Equity versus non-Equity debate.

Equity does not equal greater talent by reason of a card alone, first and foremost, and a major factor in whether a tour is Equity or non-Equity is based around what different presenters around the country are willing to offer the producers as a weekly guarantee. That is how producers develop a budget. Those same presenters also set ticket prices in their cities. You don't like paying the same for a non-Union cast? Talk to the local presenter. You wish your major city could bring in all-Equity tours? Tell them to stop giving their entire annual budget to Hamilton, Wicked, and Dear Evan Hansen.