Musical review: Hairspray lights up the NAC

Caroline Eiseman impresses in the starring role, capturing a youthful desire to change the world while singing and dancing her heart out.

Published Nov 15, 2023 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 4 minute read

Caroline Eiseman stars as Tracy Turnblad in a new touring production of the Broadway musical, Hairspray. Photo by Supplied

Hairspray

Presented by Broadway Across Canada

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To Nov. 19, National Arts Centre

Tickets and times: ottawa.broadway.com

With a hometown performer in a key role, the first show of a lively new touring production of the Broadway musical Hairspray lit up the National Arts Centre on Tuesday.

Set in Baltimore in 1962 – a time without cellphones, as we’re reminded at the beginning – the show is a remount of the 2002 musical that was based on John Waters’ 1988 film, and subsequently inspired the 2007 musical comedy movie.

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Based on the book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, with terrific 60s-inspired music and arrangements by Marc Shaiman, it tells the story of a chubby sophomore, Tracy Turnblad (played by Caroline Eiseman), who dreams of dancing on the local TV teen-dance program but also wants to dance with her Black friends from school. They’re limited to one appearance a month, dubbed Negro Day, in the racially segregated city.

Tuesday marked the first Hairspray performance featuring the new cast, but it was the start of the third season for the Ottawa-raised actor, Emmanuelle Zeesman, who plays three female-authority figures. In other words, it’s her third year in the role, and she’s got it nailed.

Whether she’s projecting the prudishness of an overbearing mother or going for the laughs as the comical gym teacher looking for her ball sack, Zeesman was relaxed, funny and confident in her performance, clearly enjoying the stage time in front of family and friends in the audience. She even slipped a “Go Sens Go” line into the mix, earning a round of applause.

Meanwhile, Eiseman impresses in the starring role, capturing a youthful desire to change the world while singing and dancing her heart out, undeterred by the fat-phobic haters. The show features scenes of dialogue as well as musical numbers, a technique that balances the pacing and makes it easy to follow the tale.

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The musical carries an uplifting message of inclusivity that’s still relevant, although a couple of details seemed problematic, including the whole idea that it takes a white saviour (young Tracy) to eliminate prejudice. There was also a crude realization on the part of the TV show’s sponsor, a hairspray company, that “Negroes and chubby girls” buy hairspray, too.

Of the cast, Tracy’s best friend, Penny Pingleton, is played to geeky perfection by Scarlett Jacques, while her crush is dancer Link Larkin (played by the limber Skyler Shields) and her rival is the vain but beautiful Amber Von Tussle (Caroline Portner). My favourite is Seaweed J. Stubbs (Josiah Rogers), a Black student with the biggest leaps and the wildest dance moves who not only becomes Penny’s love interest but also prompts her mother (one of Zeesman’s characters) to change her racist ways.

The adult roles are particularly juicy, starting with Tracy’s plus-sized bear of a mama, Edna, a comedic role written for a man in drag, in this case, Greg Kalafatas. He’s wonderful in his rapport with Tracy’s joke-loving dad, Wilbur (Ralph Prentice Daniel) – they even share an on-stage kiss – and then blossoms when encouraged to step into the spotlight in a truly eye-popping fashion.

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Also effective in her ruthlessness is Amber’s mother, Velma Von Tussle (Sarah Hayes), the TV show producer who wants to keep things going “in the white direction.”

One indisputable highlight is the performance of Deidre Lang as Motormouth Maybelle, Seaweed’s mother and owner of a downtown record shop. In a blonde wig, she brings a regal presence to the role, reaching a soul-stirring high with her gospel-drenched solo, I Know Where I’ve Been.

But there are several other memorable moments, too, including the Dynamites’ girl-group routine during the Welcome to the 60s scene, the cleverly staged jailhouse scene and of course, the rousing finale of Can’t Stop The Beat, despite being a bit rushed on opening night.

The staging moved seamlessly between scenes, except for one technical glitch that required a two-minute pause in the second half to allow the crew to fix a caster wheel on a set piece so it would roll smoothly.

Finally, I can’t wrap this up without kudos to the costume designer, William Ivey Long. The students’ 60s outfits hit the mark and the stage dresses are fantastic, not to mention the vast array of towering wigs by Paul Huntley and Bernie Ardia that appeared to require a steady supply of the show’s namesake aerosol product.

Hairspray is the first installment in Broadway Across Canada’s 2023-24 season in Ottawa. The season continues with Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations Dec. 26-31 and Disney’s Frozen Feb. 22-March 3.