SF Tours
Hairspray is a 1960s cartoon come to life — now in San Francisco
The campy musical still manages to tackle racism and body-shaming. The San Francisco tour is here one week only.
By Adriana Roberts
Playing through Sunday in San Francisco is the beloved musical Hairspray, based on the equally-beloved 1988 John Waters film of the same name. Despite Waters’ reputation at the time as a transgressive indie film director known for weird little cult movies, Hairspray turned out to be a sharp departure from his earlier work, while still featuring his edgy muse, the late, great drag queen Divine.
Taking place in Waters’ hometown of Baltimore in 1962 and based loosely on real life events at the time, Hairspray — both the film and the musical — is the story of a “pleasantly plump” teen, Tracy Turnblad, trying to become a dancer on a local dance party television program, The Corny Collins Show. Along the way, she helps break down the racial segregation barriers that were prevalent at the time, and integrate white and black dancers on to the show.
Considering that Hairspray became a cult hit on VHS in the ’90s, not to mention that it’s the most mainstream and wholesome of all of John Waters’ films, it’s no surprise it got adapted into a Broadway musical in 2002. Of course, the musical setting of the subject matter lends itself to the stage, and Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman imbue many of the show tunes with early ’60s arrangements and harmonies, with nods to doo-wop girl groups, Motown, and Elvis Presley.
In 2007, the stage musical got re-adapted back into a movie and then, a live version aired on NBC television in 2016. Despite its early ’60s setting, Hairspray’s themes of racism, body positivity, and discrimination still resonate loudly today, which is why it keeps finding its audience with new generations.
The new touring version playing this week only at the Orpheum Theatre is still a crowd-pleaser, featuring big wigs, colorful costumes, wonderful choreography, and — of course — a man in a housedress. Ever since Divine first played Edna Turnblad, the iconic mother character in the original movie, the role has always been gender-swapped with a male actor, with Harvey Fierstein playing her in the original Broadway version, and John Travolta filling the dress in the adapted movie version.
Actor Greg Kalafatas carries on this tradition, doing a fantastic job in the role, playing it up for camp in a comedic Broadway manner, but never coming off like a drag queen. Caroline Eiseman is equally charming as the lead and she’s supported by a chorus of dancers that are a joy to watch.
But the real surprise is actress Deidre Lang, who plays Motormouth Maybelle, the black record store owner who brings down the house with her rendition of “I Know Where I’ve Been,” the show’s “11 o’clock number.” That’s Broadway-speak for the big, show-stopping song late in the second act which signifies a big revelation. Normally, this sort of song is belted out by the main character, but in Hairspray, it’s sung by a secondary character whose racial struggles are really the heart of the story.
While many of the songs are great, some of the jokes did fall a little flat. However, that likely has more to do with the now 22-year-old script than it does the actors’ delivery. Considering modern tastes in 2024, the show could probably stand to be updated a little. Quite frankly, it needs more John Waters!
The original musical adaptation had its edges so sanded down and sanitized that at this point, it could probably use a bit more edge, like the kind that Waters brought to his early films. But still, Hairspray has aged well compared to other Broadway revivals. A show that champions racial equality and inclusivity like this should never go out of style — unlike all the bouffant ’60s hairstyles.
// Hairspray plays now through Sunday, April 21 at Orpheum Theatre. Get tickets
Adriana Roberts is a DJ and performer with her Bootie Mashup parties, as well as a writer and trans influencer.
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