Review: HAIRSPRAY, King's Theatre, Glasgow
In Baltimore in 1962, the Corny Collins Show is essential viewing for all local teenagers. Tracy Turnblad is a little heavier than the stars of the show but she doesn't let that get in the way of her dream of dancing on national television.
Rebecca Mendoza makes her professional debut as Tracy Turnblad and gives an outstanding performance. As the hero of the show, she is a very likeable character and Mendoza portrays that perfectly. Gina Murray makes for an excellent villain as the show director Velma Von Tussle who is willing to "lie, cheat and steal" to win her daughter the title of Miss Teenage Hairspray. While Velma doesn't perform the biggest belter of the production, Murray's voice was by far my favourite and she injects a healthy dose of sass to the character.
The set is pretty simple but the level of talent paired with the incredible costume design and tight choreography makes this production feel as though you're watching a performance in the West End.
The songs are catchy and the only flat moment for me was the duet between Edna and Wilbur Turnblad "You're Timeless To Me". While it did seem to be an audience favourite, I found the scene to be overly drawn out and the comedy had a very cheap and panto-like feel which just seemed out of place in an otherwise excellent production.
It may have been a cold and wet Monday evening in Glasgow but Hairspray still managed to have the whole audience on their feet!
Hairspray runs at the King's Theatre, Glasgow until Saturday 7th October.
Photo credit: Darren Bell
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