Hairspray, at Leeds Grand Theatre, is one of those feelgood shows that will probably go into constant rotation around the UK’s theatres.
It’s a real crowd-pleaser, a foot-tapping cheer-inducing spectacular that’s well worth watching more than once.
It was clear from the audience response last week that many of those punters will return when Hairspray is next in town.
This is at least the third visit to West Yorkshire by the West End hit, and I think it’s the best production so far.
The cast is great, especially Freya Sutton as leading lady Tracy Turnblad and Adrian Hansel as the charismatic Seaweed.
They’re among teens in 1960s Baltimore who want to use dance to force change in a city divided by race. The local TV station has a pop show dominated by all-American white kids, with black residents only getting one day a month to strut their stuff.
Tracy, stout and proud, sets out to change people’s attitudes, get her shy mum out of the house and win the affections of the show’s heartthrob.
If all this sounds a bit worthy, believe me it isn’t, for the serious aspects are woven into a frothy and irresistible concoction.
The songs are among the most catchy in modern musical theatre, the setting is vibrantly colourful and the whole thing’s terrific.
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