There was a time when teenagers rebelled by ratting their hair, dancing to rock ‘n’ roll, and using enough aerosol hairspray to personally threaten the ozone layer.
Ah, 1962.
Broadway At Music Circus took us back in time with HAIRSPRAY, where the hair was high, the beat had soul, and Tracy Turnblad had a dream to dance on The Corny Collins Show. But when Tracy realized not everyone was given the same chance to be seen, her dream became something much bigger.
The cast brought energy to the UC Davis Health Pavilion. A special treat was the casting of Ginger Minj as Edna Turnblad. Best known from RuPaul’s Drag Race, Minj was everything you wanted Edna to be. She was larger than life, lovable, and very, very funny. But it was her duet with Wilbur Turnblad (Jamie Torcellini) in “You’re Timeless to Me” that became one of my favorite moments of the night. The song was sweet and heartfelt, and somewhere along the way, the ad-libbing took over. Watching the two of them try to keep it together became just as entertaining as the song itself, and one of my favorite things about live theater is knowing you’re watching something that won’t happen the same way again.
On the other side of the spectrum was Velma Von Tussle (Sara Gettelfinger), producer of The Corny Collins Show and a woman very comfortable deciding who did and did not belong. Gettelfinger made an excellent villain, with just the right mix of arrogance and manipulation, along with a deep, smoky voice that could surprisingly soar into the higher octaves. And whenever Velma appeared, it was usually a pretty good sign that someone else’s day was about to get worse.
Motormouth Maybelle (Altameice Carolyn Cooper) delivered the powerhouse performance of the night. Her rich, soulful voice on “I Know Where I’ve Been” commanded the entire room and received the loudest applause. In a musical bursting with color, comedy, and movement, everything seemed to settle for those few minutes to let the message take center stage.
At its heart, it’s a story about segregation and standing up against the idea that some people belong while others don’t. More than 60 years later, its message of inclusion still resonates. Race, size, sexuality, or anything else that makes someone different shouldn’t determine whether they get a place in the room. Or on the dance floor.
Tracy may have rattled a few cages along the way, but she never set out to be rebellious. She simply stood up for what she believed was right, and sometimes that’s the most rebellious thing you can do. HAIRSPRAY is playing now through August 30 at the UC Davis Health Pavilion. And whatever you do, don’t forget the hairspray. Learn more here.
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