Le monde des musicals

Malgré son physique passablement arrondi, la jeune Tracy n'a qu'une idée en tête : danser dans la célèbre émission de Corny Collins. Par chance, Link Larkin, l'un des meilleurs danseurs de l'émission, assiste à une de ses performances au lycée et lui propose de venir à une soirée dansante organisée par Corny Collins. Tracy, grâce à sa performance à la soirée, est intégrée dans l'équipe. Elle devient instantanément une star, s'attirant du même coup la jalousie d'Amber, la fille de la directrice de la chaîne, qui régnait jusqu'ici sur le show. Lorsque Tracy participe à une manifestation afin que les Noirs puissent danser dans l'émission de Corny Collins, être acceptés et traités comme les Blancs, rien ne va plus... Désormais en cavale, ses chances d'affronter Amber au cours de la finale et de remporter le titre de " Miss Hairspray " semblent bien compromises…

Act I
As “pleasantly plump” teenager Tracy Turnblad lies in bed, she muses about her love for her hometown, her love of dancing, and her desire to be famous (“Good Morning Baltimore”). She goes to school and is given a warning for "inappropriate hair height". After school, Tracy rushes home with her best friend, Penny, to catch the local teenage dance show, The Corny Collins Show (“The Nicest Kids in Town”). Edna, Tracy’s shy and plus-sized mother, is ironing and complains about the noise of the music coming from the television, while Penny’s mother, Prudy complains about it being race music. After an announcement that auditions for a place on the show will be held,due to the fact that Brenda (one of the Corny Collins Council Members)leaves the show due to being pregnant. Tracy begs her mother for permission to audition. Edna, fearing that Tracy will be laughed at due to her weight, refuses. Penny and Amber (the main dancer on The Corny Collins Show) have similar arguments with their mothers ("Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now").

After gaining permission and support from her father, Wilbur, Tracy auditions for the show and bumps into teenage heartthrob, Link Larkin, which leads into a dream sequence ("I Can Hear the Bells"). Velma Von Tussle, the racist producer of The Corny Collins Show, rejects Tracy from the audition because of her size ("(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs"), as well as refusing a black girl, Little Inez.

Back at school, Tracy is sent to detention for her "monumental hair-don't". There she meets black dancer, Seaweed J. Stubbs (the son of the host of "Negro Day" on The Corny Collins Show, Motormouth Maybelle), who teaches her several dance moves. She uses the new dance steps at the Sophomore Hop the following day to introduce herself to Corny Collins ("The Madison"). When Corny sees how well Tracy can dance, he gives her a place on the show ("The Nicest Kids in Town" (Reprise)). During the broadcast, Link, following Corny’s suggestion, sings "It Takes Two" to Tracy, much to Amber’s dismay. After the show, Mr. Spritzer, the show’s worrisome sponsor, appeals to Velma over Tracy’s appointment to the Council. Velma, threatening to fire Corny from the show, is eventually left distraught and determines to ruin Tracy ("Velma’s Revenge").

At the Turnblad house, Edna is receiving calls from fans who saw Tracy on the show. A call comes in from Mr. Pinky, the owner of a plus-size dress shop, for an endorsement. Tracy pleads with her mother to come with her and to act as her agent although Edna has not left their apartment in years. Finally making it outside, Edna is given a huge makeover, as she is told, ("Welcome to the 60's") and Tracy becomes the spokes-girl for the shop. At school, signs of Tracy’s fame are evident in the schoolyard, with graffiti on the walls and another Council Member sporting Tracy’s signature hairdo. During a game of dodge ball, a jealous Amber knocks Tracy out, and Link rushes to her side. Penny and Seaweed, who have developed a liking for each other, rush to fetch the school nurse, only to find her out sick. Seaweed, suggesting that some fun would make Tracy feel better, invites all of them to his mother’s record shop for a platter party ("Run and Tell That!").

At the shop, Tracy rallies everyone to march against the station on the following day’s Mother-Daughter Day, as blacks are not allowed on the show except for the monthly Negro Day. Before they start, Motormouth Maybelle convinces the initially reluctant Edna and Wilbur to march as well. During the protest, led by Motormouth, Velma calls the police and fights break out. When the police arrive on the scene, almost everyone is arrested ("Big, Blonde, and Beautiful").

Act II
After the march, most of the women are locked up in a women's penitentiary ("The Big Dollhouse"). Because of Velma’s dirty tactics, the governor pardons and releases both her and Amber. Wilbur bails out the remaining people, excluding Tracy who is forced to remain in jail through another one of Velma’s manipulations. Tracy is alone and wishes that Link could be with her ("Good Morning Baltimore" (Reprise)). Back at the Har-De-Har Hut (Wilbur's joke shop), Wilbur and Edna are left destitute because of the money it cost them to bail everyone out and with Tracy still in prison. Edna sympathizes with her daughter’s dream – she had dreamt of making her “own line of queen-sized dress patterns”. She and Wilbur reminisce about their past and how they can never be parted from each other (“(You’re) Timeless to Me”).

During the night, Link sneaks into the jail where he finds Tracy in solitary confinement. As Link and Tracy reunite, Penny’s mother, Prudy, punishes Penny for “going to jail without her permission” and ties her up in her bedroom where Seaweed comes to her rescue. Both couples declare their love for one another ("Without Love"). After escaping from their respective prisons, the couples seek refuge at Motormouth Maybelle’s Record Shop. Tracy thinks that it is unfair that after all of their hard work, The Corny Collins Show is still segregated. They devise a plan to help integrate the show, and Motormouth remembers their long fight for equality ("I Know Where I’ve Been").

On the day of the Miss Teenage Hairspray competition, Corny Collins starts the show with a song ("It’s) Hairspray"). Amber shows off her talents in a bid to get more votes from the viewers ("Cooties"). Just as the results are about to be announced, Tracy (whose hair is straightened as a sign of her "non-conformity to the man") takes over the stage, and is joined by Link, Penny (now transformed from drool to cool), Seaweed, Edna, Wilbur, Little Inez, and Motormouth. Tracy is declared the winner of the competition and Corny declares The Corny Collins Show to finally be racially integrated. When all is announced, Mr. Spritzer runs onstage thrilled with the public’s response to the telecast and announces that the governor has pardoned Tracy and he offers Link a recording contract and Motermouth Maybelle the position of vice president of Ultra Glow – beauty products for women of color. Prudy arrives at the station and, seeing how happy Penny is with Seaweed, accepts her daughter for who she is. At the height of the moment, the company invites Amber and Velma to join the celebration. With the station in joyous celebration, Tracy and Link cement their love with a kiss ("You Can’t Stop the Beat").

Original Broadway production
After a tryout at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre, Hairspray opened on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre on August 15, 2002. The production was directed by Jack O'Brien and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, with set design by David Rockwell, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, sound design by Steve C. Kennedy, and the many distinctive wigs in the show by Paul Huntley. The original Broadway cast included Marissa Jaret Winokur and Harvey Fierstein in the lead roles of Tracy and Edna respectively. The cast also featured Matthew Morrison as Link, Laura Bell Bundy as Amber, Kerry Butler as Penny, Linda Hart as Velma, Mary Bond Davis as Motormouth Maybelle, Corey Reynolds as Seaweed, Jackie Hoffman as Female Authority Figure and Dick Latessa as Wilbur. The Dynamites were played by Kamilah Marshall, Shayna Steele and Judine Richard.

Hairspray received Tony Award nominations in 12 categories, winning eight, including for best musical, book, score and direction. Winokur, Fierstein and Latessa received awards for their performances. The production ran for more than six years, closing on January 4, 2009 after 2,642 performances. Fierstein and Winokur returned to the cast for the final performances.

Original London production
The West End production opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on October 11, 2007 for previews before its official opening on October 30. Michael Ball played Edna, with Mel Smith as Wilbur Turnblad, newcomer Leanne Jones as Tracy, Tracie Bennett as Velma, Paul Manuel as Corny Collins, Rachael Wooding as Amber, Elinor Collett as Penny, and Ben James-Ellis as Link. The original creative team of the Broadway production, with director Jack O'Brien and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, reunited for the London production. The show garnered a record-setting eleven Olivier Award nominations and won for Best New Musical, as well as acting awards for Best Actress and Actor in a musical (Jones and Ball). The production closed on March 28, 2010 after a run of nearly two-and-a-half years and over 1,000 performances.

Original Australian production
An Australian production of Hairspray opened in Melbourne at the Princess Theatre on October 2, 2010 to critical acclaim. It was directed by David Atkins and choreographed by So You Think You Can Dance Australia judge Jason Coleman.[16] The show moved to Sydney from June 23, 2011. The cast includes Jaz Flowers as Tracy, Trevor Ashley as Edna, Jack Chambers as Link, and Tevin Campbell reprising his role from the Broadway production as Seaweed J. Stubbs. Atkins redesigned the production using new technologies. The set uses enormous LED screens, which move around the stage in various combinations, as the characters interact with animated landscapes generated across the screens. The musical opened at Sydney's Lyric Theatre at The Star Casino on 11 June 2011 and closed on 9 October 2011, ending its Australian run.

Act I
"The Nicest Kids in Town" – Corny and Council Members
"Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now" – Edna, Tracy, Prudy, Penny, Velma, Amber, and Female Ensemble
"Good Morning Baltimore" – Tracy and Ensemble
"I Can Hear the Bells" – Tracy and Ensemble
"(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs" – Velma and Council Members with Tracy, Penny, and Little Inez
"The Madison"† – Corny and Company
"The Nicest Kids in Town (Reprise)"† – Corny and Council Members
"It Takes Two" – Link, Tracy, and Male Ensemble
"Velma’s Revenge"† – Velma
"Welcome to the 60’s" – Tracy, Edna, The Dynamites, and Ensemble
"Run and Tell That!" – Seaweed, Little Inez, and Detention Kids
"Big, Blonde, and Beautiful" – Motormouth, Little Inez, Tracy, Edna, Wilbur, and Company

Act II
"The Big Dollhouse" – Matron, Edna, Velma, Tracy, Amber, Penny, Motormouth, and Female Ensemble
"Good Morning Baltimore (Reprise)" – Tracy
"(You’re) Timeless to Me" – Edna and Wilbur
"(You're) Timeless to Me (Reprise)" - Edna and Wilbur
"Without Love" – Tracy, Link, Penny, Seaweed, and Ensemble
"I Know Where I’ve Been" – Motormouth and Ensemble
"(It’s) Hairspray" – Corny and Council Members
"Cooties" – Amber and Council Members
"You Can’t Stop the Beat" – Tracy, Link, Penny, Seaweed, Edna, Wilbur, Motormouth, Velma, Amber, and Ensemble

†Not on the cast recording.

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Hairspray

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Hairspray