BADC Hairspray Review

BADC+Hairspray+Review

Lauren Winn

Last week, the Bel Air Drama Company’s production of the widely popular musical Hairspray was shown. There were four shows; beginning on Thursday April 12th, 2018 continuing with a show the next night on Friday, and a matinee and nighttime show on Saturday. Expectations were high after not only the anticipation but of the success of the previous productions the company has done.

Hairspray is set in Baltimore in 1962, when racism and segregation is an enormous issue. Lead character, Tracy becomes a dancer on her favorite show, “The Corny Collins Show”. Tracy uses her new fame to try to integrate the show and “colorize the TVs.” She makes friends and enemies along the way as she fights for inclusion and equality.

The BADC’s production of Hairspray was fabulous on Friday, which was their second out of four showings. Everything was great from the set to the songs to the dancing and acting. The whole adaptation was spot-on

“I thought the show was so upbeat,” says Grace Cross, a senior who attended the show on Friday April 13th, “It was a great show for the whole family.”

In some scenes the audience could not stop laughing, and in others, the emotions of the actors were so raw and real, and you could feel it as an audience member. It was a little hard for me to not shed a tear or two during the scene where the characters express their struggling and the unfairness of segregation through song.

“Hairspray was a great experience, both for the cast and for those who came to see the show,” sophomore, Allison Kindley, who played Amber, says. “I believe it was very eye-opening for the students and an enjoyable way to start discussions on people’s differences, which is a topic that’s not always easy to talk about.”

The adaptation was great in that it was like the 2007 movie that most of us are familiar with. From Tracy’s comical mom Edna to the 60s music and dancing, Hairspray was amazing. I hadn’t watched the movie until I heard the BADC would be doing it for their spring production, and I loved seeing my peers perform such a popular and meaningful musical.

Hairspray was the most successful musical I’ve ever been a part of,” states cast member, Michaela Berres , “We sold out all days, which the Bel Air Drama Company hasn’t done in more than a decade. The cast and crew worked extremely hard, staying at school until 10:30 every night for almost two weeks to perfect everything. We all worked so hard for nearly four months just for those three days, and it showed on stage.”

All the challenging work of the cast and crew of Hairspray paid off, and you could tell how much the students involved loved it, as always. The seniors in the drama company will be missed next year, as this was their last high school production, but I can’t wait to see what next year’s productions will bring.