鈥淲e are going to be the light in the darkness鈥濃攁 simple, yet poignant, message from Ariana Grande, a celebrity who put her pop career on hold because she was dying to play Penny Lou Pingleton in the televised production of Hairspray and spread a message of hope, love, and equality to the nation.
Her cast members feel the same. At rehearsal in Los Angeles, exactly one week after Donald Trump was declared President-Elect of the United States of America鈥攕ending many in the theatre community into a state of solemn shock鈥攊t was all they could talk about. Hairspray Live! has become more than just a holiday musical event, but a beacon of hope for those left reeling in the aftermath of the election with the significant rise in hate crimes and hate speech throughout the country.
Harvey Fierstein, who recreates his Tony Award-winning performance December 7 and also revised the musical鈥檚 script for TV, takes us back to the early 2000s when the show was being developed.
鈥淲hen we were first together鈥攖he cast back in 2000鈥攁nd we put the white people in one room and the black people in the other room to rehearse, there was shock,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚t just happened because of the nature of the show鈥攖he practicality [in rehearsing]; it became symbolic. These kids [in Hairspray Live!] are going through the same thing, but they understand it because of the politics right now.
鈥淭hey also understand they have a power. Is their power being used right now? No. But these kids, I notice, have a feeling of empowerment, and I think our job as artists is to empower them. Our job is to show you where the problems are, not necessarily have the answers鈥攚e don鈥檛 have to always have the answers, we have to keep bringing up the questions.鈥�
Hairspray does, in fact, do a lot of asking over its three-hour duration. Why can鈥檛 black and white teenagers dance on television together? Why can鈥檛, as Tracy Turnblad says, 鈥渁 girl who looks like me鈥� win the love of Baltimore鈥檚 heartthrob? And, why can鈥檛 a leading lady (Tracy鈥檚 mother, Edna Turnblad) be played by a man?
According to Hairpsray鈥檚 cast and creatives, younger audiences need to be posed these questions and need to have these messages broadcast into their homes through the power of live television.
鈥淚 go online, and I have a lot of kids who look at my page every day,鈥� Grande explains. 鈥淪ome of them are fighting, some of them are at home feeling conflicted about who they are鈥攆eeling like they can鈥檛 be who they are because there are people making them feel that way鈥攁nd I just want to be a person to them who lets them know that that鈥檚 bullsh*t, and that it is okay. It鈥檚 just crazy because the show takes place in the 鈥�60s, and here we are today still talking about the same sh*t. It鈥檚 not that different. We鈥檙e still protesting. My best friend hit me up a two days ago and was like, 鈥榊o, let鈥檚 go tonight. Let鈥檚 go walk.鈥� And, I was like, 鈥楾his is real.鈥欌�
Martin Short, who plays Tracy鈥檚 father, Wilbur Turnblad, was very vocal about how timely Hairspray is following the election results. 鈥淲hen I first saw this movie, and then I saw the musical, it was clearly about people [who] were on the right side of history and the wrong side of history. We now have an administration that, as we know, as they talk about climate change being a Chinese hoax, are on the wrong side of history when it comes to a lot of subjects. Therefore, this becomes even more relevant than ever before.鈥�
Jennifer Hudson will take on some of the most moving material in the musical, singing Motormouth Maybelle鈥檚 鈥淚 Know Where I鈥檝e Been鈥� and the finale 鈥淐ome So Far (Got So Far To Go).鈥� The tunes, she says, are hitting home.
鈥淚t鈥檚 shocking,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 remember when I did Dreamgirls鈥攖hat was [set] in the 鈥�60s. When I was doing that, which was ten years ago, I had to go and say, 鈥楾ell me what happened then. What was that like?鈥� You had someone explain it to you, and it鈥檚 unfortunate that ten years later, we should be well ahead, but we鈥檙e even further behind than ten years ago. It鈥檚 like, 鈥業 don鈥檛 think I need anyone to tell me because we鈥檙e living in it right now.鈥欌�
Race issues aside, Ephraim Sykes, who plays Motormouth鈥檚 son Seaweed J. Stubbs, says that the show also 鈥渟peaks to true individuality鈥� and celebrates our 鈥渦niqueness.鈥�
As for the show鈥檚 leading lady Maddie Baillio, who plays the teen at Hairspray鈥檚 heart鈥攁 young woman who sees past racial barriers and looks for the good in everyone鈥攕he, like Tracy, hopes to change the world.
鈥淥ur director Kenny Leon really wants to nail in those real moments鈥攖he moments that are just as relevant today as they would have been in the 1960s,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very hard, but I鈥檓 really hoping that maybe someone who is flipping through the channels on December 7, and they stop on Hairspray, if they don鈥檛 believe in equality, and they don鈥檛 have a lot of love in their hearts鈥� I mean, it鈥檚 bold to say, but I hope we can change the world and change their minds.鈥�
Michael Gioia is the Features Manager at 半岛体育.com. Follow him on Twitter at .
