Hairspray - HAMA Productions (18 September 2024)

There's a reason Hairspray won 8 Tony Awards in 2003 including Best Musical. The songs are terrific, it has an upbeat tempo, a crowd-pleasing ending, and positive messages about inclusion, body image, and speaking up for what is right no matter what the odds. I first saw it on stage in 2012 at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre and it quickly became one of my favourite musicals.

That community theatre production went on to win four Finley Awards and is notable for a couple of other reasons - it featured a certain Jason Arrow as Seaweed who would later originate the Australian role of Alexander Hamilton in the mega-hit musical; and Tate Bennett, in the ensemble here, was Finley nominated for his portrayal of Corny Collins.    

Twelve years later and the show is getting a lavish staging at the Crown Theatre. In the lead up to the run I watched all the announcements on social media with growing interest as a stellar roster of performers and creatives was being assembled under Vincent Hooper who directed last year's All Shook Up at Crown. This is an exceptionally talented company and, significantly, the number of people who are either from WA or trained here is impressive. 

Perth doesn't get all the big touring shows - the aforementioned Hamilton has literally been everywhere else but Perth - so the importance of producing a local show that can credibly fill the spacious Crown Theatre can't be understated. It showcases our homegrown talent, entices expatriates to come back, and signals to the professionals recruited from interstate that there are viable opportunities westwards. 

The show is deep into its run and there are no signs of any of the early teething problems that may have been evident on opening night. The sound balance between vocals and orchestra is good though I would have liked a little more volume in the big, set piece numbers. Lyrics are concise, set transitions slick, and the production feels like it's in a comfortable rhythm.  

With a big venue comes the need for big production values and it's clear that the instruction has been to dial everything up to eleven - big performances and big hair with a larger-than-life look in everything from costuming to lighting design and the set itself. 

There's no doubt this is a visual treat. I may be colour blind but Lucy Birkinshaw's lighting bathes the performers with such vibrancy and sheer style that even I was gawking with approval. The set by Michael McVeigh is a marvel of highly detailed and functional trucks and other elements that put us in this stylised version of 1962 Baltimore. The studio where the Corny Collins Show is aired feels like a fairy-tale land; visually and, more importantly, thematically as the views and values of the Von Tussles are at odds with the reality of a diverse America. Costumes and wigs by Marina Del Basso are bold and bright though I'm not sure about the exaggerated bouffant that adorned the head of Corny Collins. That one felt too over the top for mine but it's a minor quibble. 

Choreographer Thern Reynolds joins forces with Hooper once more and the results are again outstanding. Movement and dance styles are an integral part of the story and the delineation is done well before it all comes together in the toe-tapping finale. The 13 piece orchestra under Musical Director Harry Oliff does tremendous justice to the Tony-winning score which is infectious.

What struck me at today's matinee is how well matched pivotal pairings are throughout the show. First and foremost is Paige Fallu who is simply tremendous as Tracy Turnblad. Fallu sings beautifully, radiates enthusiasm, and has genuine chemistry with John Berry's Link Larkin. Berry has all the moves and matinee idol looks in a role that subverts the expectations those attributes bring. Their work together is excellent as the backbone of the show.

Chelsea Plumley and Elaina O'Connor are the presumptive villains of the piece, Velma and Amber Von Tussle. Plumley delights in chewing the scenery while O'Connor is increasingly honing her fine comic instincts to enhance genuine leading lady talent.

Rob Palmer, in what may pass as celebrity casting, is more Travolta than Fierstein as Edna Turnblad. He gives a good account of himself and his rendition of (You're) Timeless To Me with a suitably goofy Brendan Hanson as Wilbur develops into a funny and charming highlight with both performers revelling in the audience response. 

Bella McSporran and Jacob Steen increasingly become a potent combination as Penny and Seaweed. That 'transgressive' relationship is well handled and greatly appreciated by a modern audience who audibly gasped at many of the supposed societal norms from over sixty years ago.

Then there are two standout performers who bring the charm in Joshua Firman's Corny Collins and the vocal authority in Paula Parore as Motor Mouth Maybelle. Firman plays the host to perfection while Parore starts slowly with the best number - I Know Where I've Been - building until it flowers into an irresistible powerhouse of an anthem. 

Outrageous talent abounds in smaller parts and the ensemble with performers such as Bennett as well as Ethan Churchill and Tory Kendrick who only a few months ago were playing the leads in Saturday Night Fever. Adding to the embarrassment of riches are local luminaries Elethea Sartorelli and Tim How in a multitude of roles.  

Vincent Hooper, producers Marina Del Basso and Hamish McSporran have assembled a first class company in all aspects. The show is bright, entertaining, bold, and sounds terrific. I suspect that after this and All Shook Up, an annual Hooper directed musical might become a Crown tradition. Here's hoping...

Hairspray is on at the Crown Theatre until 28 September.