Hairspray

Image Source: Hairspray

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Comedy
Date: October 12 2015
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Hairspray recently made an eagerly-anticipated return to Liverpool, once again emanating from the Liverpool Empire Theatre. The show is all about having fun and tackling important issues in a manner that brings a smile to one's face and with a flair that ensures you will be cheering on the lead characters as they strive to achieve their goals. The plot has multiple layers, but they all come together nicely and, through their development and resolution, combine to tell a story which is both eye-catching and entertaining, making for a very enjoyable night at the theatre.

The lead character, Tracy Turnblad (Freya Sutton), is a slightly overweight teenage girl living in Baltimore who, along with her friend Penny (Monique Young), loves to watch the locally-based TV programme The Corny Collins Show. This is to the disapproval of her mother Edna (played by Tony Maudsley; you can tell it's a male playing the somewhat masculine female, but I didn't realise till midway through that it was Tony, which is a positive I suppose!), with her father Wilbur (Peter Duncan) not minding as his priority is keeping his joke shop in business. One day, the 1960s-based show that blends intricate dancing with feel-good singing reveals that the programme will soon be looking for a new dancer, and that interested parties should audition.

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Freya Sutton: "Tracy Turnblad is a dream role for me in Hairspray"

Image Source: Twitter

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

With the internationally-popular show Hairspray about to land at the Liverpool Empire Theatre, Mark Armstrong recently spoke to one of the main stars of the show, Freya Sutton, to discuss her role as Tracy Turnblad and why it is the perfect part for her to play …

To begin with, briefly tell us the story of Hairspray.

My character Tracy Turnblad is from a family that is not very well-off (her mum's a housewife who does ironing and stuff, and her dad runs a shop that doesn't really do very well), plus they're kind of overweight. Tracy is told that entering the dance business is a risk, because her mother doesn't want to see her get hurt, but Tracy is determined and says that she really want to get onto a TV show, The Corny Collins Show, which would showcase her talents.

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