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Freya Sutton as Tracy with Monique Young as Penny and Ashley Gilmour as Link leading the cast in the rousing finale. Pictures Ellie Kurttz Hairspray
The New Alexandra Theatre
**** IF you are looking for an alternative to
panto this Christmas then look no further than this rip-roaring,
feel-good, leave with a smile on your face, fun musical. This new production has breathed fresh, new life
into a show that has been doing the rounds since 2002 and with a new
look from designer Paul Moore, new choreography by rising star Drew
McOnie and infectious enthusiasm from a largely young cast, it is sure
to add new members to its cult following. It is a show with heart, set in 1962 a year
before Martin L Tracy becomes the unlikely new dancer on The
Corny Collins Show on TV in Baltimore where there are no black dancers
to be seen, except on the monthly Negro Day when only black teens and
presenter are to be seen – all based on actual events in Baltimore in
the 1960s.
The musical, from 2002, is based on the 1988 film from John Waters, who regularly worked with drag artist Divine, from Baltimore incidentally, and cast him as Edna Turnblad, the belligerent mother of hero Tracy. It is a casting twist that has become a tradition
and taking on the role this time is Tony Maudsley best known perhaps, as
hairdresser Kenneth in Benidorm, returning to the stage for the first
time in 12 years and his first musical for 18. The term duck to water
springs to mind. He eschews the temptation to turn Edna into a
panto dame, or even a bloke in a frock, and, although at 6ft 4in and 20
stone - plus a fat suit, and with a deep, gravelly voice, expecting
femininity is perhaps a step too far, Maudsely along with Peter Duncan
as husband Wilbur create a touching couple, a pair you start to care
about as people. The laughs are already in the script so they don’t play
it for more and their relationship has a warm, tender quality to add to
the fun, which is a refreshing change. Their duet,
You’re timeless to me,
is a delightful interlude and a highlight of the show. Duncan’s Wilbur
comes over as loving, thoughtful and great fun and there is a genuine
stage chemistry created between the pair. Freya Sutton, played Tracy in the previous UK
tour, so it is no wonder she retur And if you have segregation you also need racists
and they don’t come much more white supremacist than producer of The
Corny Collins Show, Velma Von Tussle played with delightful bigotry by
Claire Sweeney. We all know we should hate vitriolic Velma but it is
hard when Sweeney is playing the character tongue in cheek, making Velma
a figure of derisive fun, someone to laugh at rather than boo. Like mother like daughter though, and so we have
Amber Von Tussle the most self-centred, unlikable wannabe you are ever
likely to encounter played with delicious nastiness by Lauren Stroud,
Amber is a nice contrast to Tracy’s best friend Penny who is . . . well
if you gave her a penny for her thoughts you would want change.
Gawky, with glasses and less social skills than a
banana, you just know the glasses will go, the hair will tumble down and
she will be a stunner before the end and Monique Young does not let us
down. She falls for Seaweed, played by Dex Lee, son of Motormouth Maybelle, host of Negro Day programmes, who shows some smooth dance moves and a curtain call move best not tried at home unless you like hospital food. Seaweed’s sister Little Inez, played by Karis
Jack, adds a fun element and deserves a mention for having such a big
voice in such a small girl. There is also good support from Jon Tsouras as Corny Collins and Ashley Gimour as Link Larkin, the teen hunk love interest of both Tracy and Amber and an excellent, all-singing, all-dancing full of energy, bright as a button ensemble with their infectious enthusiasm. The show is stolen
though by Brenda Edwards as Motormouth. She has come a long way since
being the last woman standing in X-Factor 2005, becoming a seasoned
musical theatre performer and it is easy to see why as she delivers the
civil rights anthem I know where I’ve
been. It is a real show stopper, a
spine tingling moment and the only serious song in the show. Edwards’ was brought up in the Gospel church and
it shows. If ever a voice was created for soul this is it. It is rare,
almost unheard of for a standing ovation at the end of a song in a
musical, but Motormouth got one. A seven-piece band –
with three brass – provides a full, 60’s sound bigger than their size
suggest with the final number, You
can’t stop the beat, encored to a
standing ovation,
summing up a Christmas treat at the Alex.
Directed by Paul Kerryson, the beat goes on to 2 January 2016. Roger Clarke
14-12-15 Brenda Edwards will be singing at the CBSO Festive Favourites concert, hosted by Alan Tichmarsh, at Birmingham Symphony Hall on Sunday, 20 December where her magnificent voice and Symphony Hall’s stunning acoustics will be a match made in heaven.
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uther
King Jnr had a dream, and a time when segregation, white or wrong, was a
way of life in many parts of the USA. And into that world bounced big,
bubbly, Tracy Turnblad who risked her chance of fame with her sense of
justice as an unlikely civil rights champion.