Hairspray

This is a big-hair, bold, sassy, rocking, writhing and kicking mother of a show.

With its huge talented cast, great sets, dazzling light and costume designs,

it starts at full throttle and races us through admirable fantasies: a 1960s community with people of all body sizes and different races that integrate amicably.

The clutch of booth singers and a big show band under Maitlohn Drew backs the high-energy songs. My quibble: The mostly full-on sound, despite individual radio mikes, was at times so brash it swamped the singer(s). I know the younger generations enjoy a sonar massage but people from that black-and-white TV era would be more likely to come along if the singers’ words were always audible.

It’s criminal to isolate performers in this showful of talent so these are strictly personal choices: As Edna Turnblad (cross-dressed and padded) Simon Gallagher deftly uses the light side of his vocal range to achieve a wonderful mother impersonation, to Casey McCollow’s plump (also padded) central character Tracy.

Young, talented Dakota Striplin sizzles as Link; Rachel Dunham (Motormouth Maybelle) stuns the audience in her big numbers; as did William Motonuu (Seaweed). The schmaltzy duo “You’re Timeless to Me” by Gallagher and Gary Jones (as Tracy’s father) brought the house down.

I reserve my biggest stars here for choreographer, Callum Mansfield, and director, Tim O’Connor who keep creating such slick, professional productions.

Jay McKee

Link to our earlier coverage