Hairspray Booms into Sydney Town

A big contingent of celebrities and theatre mainstays will attend tonight’s opening night of Hairspray in Sydney.

The smash hit musical, which transfers from Melbourne, will bed down for a long run at the Lyric Theatre.

It is part of a massive number of musicals heading to the harbour city over the next two years.

Press notes for the show read: “Meet Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair sho has only one passion: to DANCE! She wins a spot on the local TV dance program, ‘The Corny Collins Show’ and, overnight, is transformed from outsider to teen celebrity. But can a plus-size trendsetter in dance and fashion vanquish the program’s reigning princess and win the heart of heartthrob Link Larkin without denting her ‘do? Only in Hairspray!”

This new, all-Australian production of the multi-award winning Broadway musical is conceived and directed by show business legend David Atkins OAM and uses breath-taking, cutting-edge technology to transport audiences to a visually astonishing world where anything seems possible.

“Hairspray is a rare treat, a musical with an important message,” Atkins said.

“It gets that across not with speeches or posturing, but with joy, energy and humour that makes it all the more special.

“That message, a simple but poignant truth, is that we are all special, we are all different and we should all embrace and celebrate those differences. Underlying Hairspray’s music, dance, humour, petticoats and 60s kitsch is a cry for tolerance and real heart. That’s what drew me to this show and our aim is to lift your spirits, fill your heart and deliver that message.”

The Australian production of Hairspray is produced by Paul Dainty of Dainty Consolidated Entertainment, who were the original producers of Mamma Mia! in Australia and are currently delighting Sydney audiences with their production of the hit stage show Jersey Boys and Joel Pearlman of Roadshow Live, who brought the phenomenally successful New Line Cinema film Hairspray to Australian cinemas in 2007. The film was seen by 1 in 10 Australians and the subsequent DVD release has achieved multi-platinum sales of 300,000 copies.

Tonight’s opening night performance begins at 7pm.