John Waters News

HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon, officially launched its new non-Equity national tour last night, November 17, at the Civic Theatre in San Diego, CA. HAIRSPRAY will visit more than 60 cities in its first touring season and is expected to play for multiple seasons.

Broadway In Detroit has announced the return of HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon, to the Fisher Theatre, January 18-30, 2022.  Tickets start at $39 and will go on sale on Friday, November 19, 2021 online.

Joining the cast this season are recurring guest stars Kathy Griffin, John Waters, Aparna Nancherla, Angela Trimbur, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Greta Titelman, Joe Castle Baker, Larry Owens and Michelle Badillo. Returning recurring guest stars include Jeffery Self and Clare McNulty.

John Waters will sing the music of Jacques Brel at Adelaide Fringe. Performances run  24th Feb-27th Feb 2022 at The Garage International, Adelaide Town Hall.

The Actors Fund and Playwrights Horizons announced today that Obie award-winning actress and theatre maker L Morgan Lee is the 2021 recipient of The Mark O’Donnell Prize, an annual prize presented to an emerging theater artist in recognition of their talent and promise.

Musical Sunday returns for 2021. The season restarts post-pandemic hiatus with a screening of Hairspray on 7 November at the Cinema Museum in Kennington, London.

Tickets for HAIRSPRAY, Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon, are on sale now for the upcoming engagement at San Jose's Center for the Performing Arts (255 S. Almaden Blvd.).

Somewhere in a world on a road less traveled, between the likes of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, American Psycho, Carrie, and the more recently conceptualized Beetlejuice lies the twisted campy world in which the characters of Evil Dead the Musical reside. First performed in 2003 in Toronto, this campy rock-filled musical made its transfer to Off-Broadway at New World Stages in 2006. In 2012 a production opened in Las Vegas as a 4-D Experience and complete with a 100 chair “Splatter Zone,” and as of 2017 making it the longest-running theatrical experience on the strip. With Book, Lyrics, and Music by George Reinblatt, Evil Dead the Musical brought Sam Raimi’s characters to life in a true blood-filled fashion. In partnership with the University of Tampa, Stageworks Theatre and Producing Artistic Director Karla Hartley made the decision to open their 2021/2022 season of Emerge with this blood-soaked campy rock-fest complete with “Splatter Zone” for the 40th anniversary of the Sam Raimi film. As theatres slowly but steadfast begin their “Emerge” out of the darkest times in recent history Karla Hartley promised one thing with Stageworks new season, “I made the conscious decision to bring you a 2021-2022 season that was big and bold. Every show this season is big. Big casts. Big sets. Big everything. Big risks. Big rewards.” As I sat in the almost completely full audience on Friday’s opening night, I can say with full confidence that Karla and friends over at Stageworks have done just what they promised and more. It would be incredibly remiss of you if you happen to find yourself without a ticket to Evil Dead the Musical as it is deathly good, and I’ll be damned if you find something any better than this for some time to come.

The producers of HAIRSPRAY have announced the full cast for the upcoming North American tour and we've got the scoop on the cast and the tour schedule. Helmed by Jack O’Brien and Jerry Mitchell. HAIRSPRAY will visit more than 60 cities in its first touring season and is expected to play for multiple seasons.

The singing musical theater writer has lots of fabulous friends and fantastic songs... but she, herself, is the most fabulous and fantastic of them all.

HAIRSPRAY, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning musical comedy phenomenon, will launch a new North American tour in Fall 2021. The new touring production, which will be helmed by Jack O’Brien and Jerry Mitchell, will visit the North Charleston Performing Arts Center December 11 & 12, 2021.

The Flynn has announced its 2021-2022 Broadway season, which welcomes fan-favorite blockbusters, side-splitting improv theater, and shows that appeal to the whole family. The season gets started with the much-anticipated return of the annual showcase Burlington Does Broadway on December 31.

Television and comedy star John Thomson (Cold Feet, The Fast Show) will join the smash hit UK tour of Hairspray as Wilbur Turnblad this Christmas for three weeks at Blackpool Winter Gardens (13 December – 2 January).

The 60s sci-fi immersive musical comedy Wild Women of Planet Wongo, a wacky B-movie inspired sci-fi comedy about a planet of Amazonian women who first encounter men when two bumbling astronauts crash on their planet, is coming virtually to the Philidelphia Fringe Festival after successful productions in New York City and Chicago.

Watch as Richard chats with star of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, Eureka!, who is now starring in Women Behind Bars, now available to stream on www.broadwayhd.com.

It has been announced that musical theatre star and television presenter Brenda Edwards (Chicago, We Will Rock You, The X Factor, Loose Women and Songs of Praise) will star as Motormouth Maybelle in the UK and Ireland tour of Hairspray.  Comedy legend Norman Pace (ITV's The Hale and Pace Show) will play Wilbur Turnblad alongside West End leading man Alex Bourne (Annie, Mamma Mia!, We Will Rock You) as Edna Turnblad.

Get ready for some totally outrageous and unfiltered fun! BroadwayHD will be bringing a brand new film capture of the 1970s cult hit Women Behind Bars exclusively to the service on August 26th. 

Director John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, A Dirty Shame) will return to Club Getaway in Kent, Connecticut this fall to host his 4th Annual Camp John Waters.  This once in a lifetime sleepaway-camp experience for his super fans takes place from September 10th - 13th.

Property owner Berger Realty Group is leading a projected $3 million+ renovation of the Studebaker Theater and Playhouse Theater at Fine Arts Building to enhance the experiences of theatergoers and producing companies at the venues, an investment that speaks to the company's commitment to historic preservation and belief in the future of the arts in Chicago.

The cast will be led by Andrew Levitt aka Nina West (from “RuPaul's Drag Race”) as Edna Turnblad, Niki Metcalf as Tracy Turnblad and Toneisha Harris (from NBC's “The Voice”) as Motormouth Maybelle. Additional casting will be announced later.