The musical “Hairspray” will open up Out Front Theatre’s ninth season starting on Oct. 24.
“Hairspray” is a musical based on the 1988 comedy film by John Waters. The musical is set in Baltimore and follows Tracy Turnblad, a teenager who dreams of dancing on the local “Corny Collins Show.” Along the way, the show tackles issues of racism, bigotry, integration, and more. The musical won eight Tony awards in 2003, including Best Musical.
The production at Out Front, Atlanta’s LGBTQ+ theater, will run from Oct. 24 until Nov. 9. The production is directed by Associate Artistic Director Justin Kalin. According to Kalin, a big musical like “Hairspray” would have normally been directed by Paul Conroy, the theater’s founding and producing artistic director. But due to other productions coming up at the theater over the next year, Kalin took on the job.
“We [wanted] someone who is up for the challenge, knows the limitations of the organization, is ready to hit the ground running,” Kalin said.
There was another reason, too – Conroy is part of the cast of “Hairspray,” playing Miss Baltimore Crabs herself, Velma Von Tussle.
“Paul at no point in the last nine years has put himself in contention for a role, even if he felt it was one he really would be well suited for,” Kalin said about the casting decision. “If this is something that’s genuinely important to you for any reason, I think we can make it work. If you are up for the challenge of being Miss Baltimore CRabs, I’m up for the challenge of directing my boss as Miss Baltimore Crabs!”
Caty Bergmark stars as Tracy Turnblad, while Blake Fountain stars as Tracy’s mother, Edna. Other members of the cast include Kayce Denise as Motormouth Maybelle, Branden Hembree as Corny Collins, Allie Hill as Penny Pingleton, Andrew Goodall as Seaweed Stubbs, and Wynne Kelly as Amber Von Tussle.
The task of casting the show was both exciting and daunting. According to Kalin, the audition pool for “Hairspray” was the largest the theater had ever seen. He said the audition pool for last year’s production of “The Prom” had roughly 120 actors, but “Hairspray” more than doubled that number.
“Folks who know and love Out Front will see a lot of familiar faces,” Kalin said. “But there’s a ton of new, extremely talented folks who are joining us for the first time that we’re really excited to welcome to Out Front.”
Tickets for “Hairspray” can be purchased on Out Front’s website.
