![]() ![]() Despite its family-friendly sheen, the production had many Waters-esque touches, including (presumably fake) rats scurrying down the street and jokes about Midol, cross-dressing and bloody car upholstery. Despite its period setting - not to mention repeated use of the outdated term “negro” - it never felt like a dated throwback, though the producers probably could have done more to emphasize its timely themes of racial harmony and size acceptance.Ī major part of this is the humor and irony inherent in the material, which, after all, originated in the singularly transgressive mind of John Waters. If you didn’t know them already, you were probably singing along to “Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now” and “Good Morning Baltimore” by the time they ended.Ĭompared to “The Sound of Music” and “Peter Pan,” “Hairspray” also has a more modern, accessible sensibility that plays well on contemporary television. Though not a classic on the level of “Grease,” which Fox staged beautifully this year, or “The Sound of Music,” “Hairspray” features infectious pop music by Marc Shaiman, with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman, that feels instantly familiar. Like the inspired take on “The Wiz,” “Hairspray Live!” was anchored by a terrific and shockingly assured newcomer, Maddie Baillio, making her professional acting debut as the rebellious, bouffanted Tracy Turnblad, whose attempts to integrate a teen dance show in 1960s Baltimore - and become Miss Teenage Hairspray in the process - form the center of the action. Though preliminary ratings suggest that it wasn’t a hit on par with last year’s “The Wiz Live!,” Wednesday night’s “Hairspray Live!” was a boisterous, technically dazzling, socially relevant and frequently very funny staging of the musical based on John Waters’ celebrated 1988 film. But what started as a collective snark-a-thon has morphed rather quickly into a more purely joyful viewing experience. Three years ago, when the network started what it hoped would be an annual live musical tradition with “The Sound of Music,” many of us tuned in to do a bit of ironic rubbernecking. ![]() Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we owe NBC an apology.
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