Opened: November 12, 2021

Book by: Mark O’Donnell & Thomas Meehan

Music by: Marc Shaiman

Lyrics by: Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman

National Tour Replacement Cast: Nina West, Niki Metcalf, Sandie Lee, Charlie Bryant III, Nick Cortazzo, Ralph Prentice Daniel, Billy Dawson, Ryahn Evers, Addison Garner, Emery Henderson, Joi D. McCoy, Sydney Archibald, Kelly Barberito, Tommy Betz, Helene Britany, Caroline Eiseman, Melanie Puente Ervin, Craig First, Alex Fullerton, Annie Gagen, Carly Haig, Lauren Johnson, Sabrina Joseph, Greg Kalafatas, Kyle Kavully, Matthew J. Kelly, McLaine Meachem, Faith Norcutt, Nicholas Dion Reese, Sage, Micah Sauvageau, Clint Maddox Thompson, Jade Turner, Mickey White & Emmanuelle Zeesman

Hairspray is one of the greats from Broadway with a message that’s as strong as ever as it puts minorities at the forefront and shows they are beautiful too.

Forward-thinking Tracy Turnblad (Niki Metcalf) dreams of being a dancer on The Corny Collins Show but her mom Edna (Nina West) is afraid of how Tracy will be perceived.

Metcalf is a star with a soaring voice. However, West – a Miss Congeniality from RuPaul’s Drag Race – steals every scene and knows how to command his time on stage. Having a career drag queen in the role of Edna just makes sense.

The set remains faithful to the original production, but there are times when the stage feels a bit empty. Act II also has some slight pacing problems with the cast delivering their lines.

Final say: You can’t stop this beat. ★★★★☆