'Hairspray' Teases LA - LA Review

The national tour of the hit "Hairspray" descended upon Los Angeles, benefiting from the appearance of Marissa Jaret Winokur, reprising her Tony Award winning performance as the show's star, Tracy Turnblad.

 

The show details the attempts by one generously proportioned teen, Tracy Turnblad, to land a coveted role as a dancer on "The Corny Collins Show," and in the process break down racial barriers that bar black dancers from appearing on TV with the white kids. In doing so, she steals the heart of her hometown, not to mention the "Corny Collin's Show" heartthrob, Link Larkin.

 

"Hairspray" the show, remains one of the most creative, fun and enjoyable musicals of the past decade, surpassing even "The Producers". It has all the elements one could wish for, incredible music that replays in your head for days on end, clever, witty lyrics that not only propel the story forward but provide incredible depth and texture to the show, and a book that keeps things on pace and never wanders off course.

 

When it premiered on Broadway in 2002, I was fortunate enough to be in the audience, and that production and cast was truly lighting in a bottle. Only one other time in the past ten years had I experienced a show so tight, refined and with chemistry among the cast so profound, you thought it had to have been whipped up in some top-secret lab.

 

One of the key elements of that mix was Marissa Jaret Winokur, who proves once again why she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. After nearly one year off the boards, Marissa returned to the role, losing nary a step from her Broadway run, portraying Tracy with the same wild-eyed optimism and spunk she demonstrated opening night in New York two years ago. It was as if the role of Tracy was written with her in mind, and if you did not know Ms. Winokur personally, you would think that she and Tracy two were one in the same. 

 

In addition to Ms. Winokur, Matthew Morrison also reprises his Tony-nominated role as Link Larkin, love interest to Tracy. As they demonstrated on Broadway, Morrison and Winokur have an incredible relationship, and you can see in their eye contact the tremendous chemistry that is so rare these days, either on stage or screen.

 

The difficulty in this production, which is playing the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles for another six weeks, however, is that Ms. Winokur and Mr. Morrison have joined a cast that has been touring together for close to a year now, which lacks the kind of cohesion and solidity of that original Broadway cast. On opening night, not only did there seem to be a lack of chemistry among the cast (though there were some exceptions as I will detail later), but the timing of the show just seemed a half-second off. It was still getting the laughs and pleasing the crowd, but certainly not up to the potential inherent in the show's individual elements. You could almost sense the crowd wanted to love it more, judging from the pre-show catcalls and cheers before the first note was played, or the curtain raised. After a rousing opening number, the brilliant, "Good Morning, Baltimore," it wasn't until near the end of the first act, in the showstopper, "Run and Tell That," that the theatre once again experienced the kind of energy and excitement they demonstrated at the very beginning of the show.

 

Bruce Vilanch, who has been getting positive notices from other outlets around the country, seems to be in a different show altogether, seemingly uncommitted to his character of Edna Turnblad. While certainly not cast for his voice, he rarely even attempts to sing, instead choosing to talk his way through most songs. In addition, for a comic writer, his sense of comic timing onstage is off, often dragging the proceedings to a grinding halt with mugging and double takes that last seemingly for an eternity. He also changes his voice pitch throughout the evening for no reason, and more often that not, choosing to raise his voice up high when it should be low, and vice versa. In one instance, when he answers the phone, he gleefully answers hello sounding like a 1950's housewife out of the movies. This would be well and good if the next line weren't "No, I'm not her father."

 

In addition, he has been adding ad-libs to the script in his second act duet, "Timeless to Me," which completely takes the show out of its 1960's context. If I want stand-up, I'll go to a comedy club. You can call me ol' fashioned, but I like a show that stays true to its roots, and this should be no exception. It is as if he thinks he is above the show, or above the material written for him. While it may be unfair to make comparisons, even Harvey Fierstein, who won the Tony award for his portrayal of Edna, never set himself apart from the rest of the ensemble. And that is what made you believe whole-heartedly that he embodied the soul of Edna Turnblad, and not just her dress.

 

The rest of the cast did their jobs just fine, though some deserve highlighting, namely Sandra DeNise as Penny Pingleton, Tracy's best friend. Her winsome character and clueless-ness is thoroughly endearing that you can't help but love her. Terron Brooks, as Seaweed, also delivers a great performance, with a voice that soars and fills the cavernous 3000-seat Pantages Theatre – no easy feat.

 

As for the technical credits, David Rockwell's set retains all the charm it did on the Broadway stage, and fills the theatre with a rainbow of color. The Pantages, I find, has always had a hard time hosting musicals, as it is such a huge venue, but even from the last row of the theatre (Row ZZ!), nothing is diminished in Rockwell's design.

 

Kudos also must be given to the sound designer, Steve Kennedy, who keeps things balanced, clear and bright without resorting to over-amplification that plagues so many shows these days.

 

 

Despite the criticisms above, "Hairspray" remains a buoyant outing of musical fun. Marissa Jaret Winokur's performance as Tracy is alone worth the price of admission, not to mention the music and lyrics of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman! After all, the show is so infectious with fun, everyone could benefit from a little "Hairspray."

 

"Hairspray" is playing at the Pantages Theatres Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90028. Performance schedule: Tue-Fri 8:00pm; Sat 2:00pm & 8:00pm; Sun 1:00pm & 6:30pm, through September 5^th, 2004. For tickets ($27.00-$87.00) call 213-365-3500 or 714-740-7878 or visit: www.ticketmaster.com.

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