The Brookside Theatre has assembled a hugely talented and energetic cast of performers to star in their upcoming production of the Tony Award winning, feel-good family musical Hairspray this September.
Featuring the iconic music and lyrics by Academy Award, Tony and Emmy winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, this big, bold and beautiful production is directed and choreographed by Harri Sepple with musical direction from Edward Sage.
It’s Baltimore 1962, where Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, is on a mission to follow her dreams and dance her way onto national TV. Tracy’s audition makes her a local star and soon she is using her new-found fame to fight for equality, bagging local heartthrob Link Larkin along the way.
Hairspray is a musical based on the 1988 film of the same name which starred Divine and Ricki Lake by cult filmmaker John Waters. With music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, Hairspray originally opened to rave reviews on Broadway in 2002 and subsequently won eight Tony Awards. The production opened in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2007 and won four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. Proving to be an international success, Hairspray has also opened in South Africa, Japan, South Korea, China and Dubai. Following the musical’s phenomenal success on stage, a film of the musical was released in 2007 which starred John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer and James Marsden.
Ysabell Livings takes on the leading role as the irrepressible Tracy Turnblad with the theatre’s own Artistic Director, Jai Sepple and PJ Tomlinson starring as her parents, Edna and Wilbur. Billy Fyfe plays the man of Tracy’s dreams Link Larkin together with Richard Upton as Corny Collins, Emily Perzan as Velma, Francesca Fleur as Amber, Zoe Parker as Penny, Tyrone Haywood as Seaweed and Pamela Ivonne-Cole as Motormouth Maybelle. Making her debut at the theatre is 12 year old Ariana Williams in the role of Little Inez. Joining them is an all-singing, all-dancing ensemble to complete the extraordinary cast.
For this production, the Brookside Theatre are working in partnership with The Fore and the London Borough of Havering.
Hairspray runs at the Brookside Theatre, Romford from Wednesday 8 September to Sunday 12 September 2021. Tickets are on sale now and can be booked by calling 01708 755775 or online at www.brooksidetheatre.com!