Hairspray UK tour to reopen in Plymouth this summer

19th April 2021

The UK and Ireland tour of Hairspray will open at the Theatre Royal Plymouth on 24 June 2021. 

It has been announced that musical theatre star and television presenter Brenda Edwards (Chicago, We Will Rock You, The X Factor, Loose Women and Songs of Praise) will star as Motormouth Maybelle, while comedy legend Norman Pace (ITV's The Hale and Pace Show) will play Wilbur Turnblad alongside West End leading man Alex Bourne (Annie, Mamma Mia!, We Will Rock You). 

Katie Brace will make her professional stage debut as Tracy Turnblad with Rebecca Thornhill (Matilda The Musical) as Velma, Richard Meek (Annie, The Rocky Horror Show) as Corny Collins, Ross Clifton as Link Larkin, Jessica Croll as Amber Von Tussle, Rebecca Jane Davies as Penny Pingleton and Charlotte St. Croix as Little Inez. 

The touring production of Hairspray had originally been due to begin performances in August 2020 but was delayed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

It’s Baltimore 1962, where Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, is on a mission to follow her dreams and dance her way onto national TV. Tracy’s audition makes her a local star and soon she is using her new-found fame to fight for equality, bagging local heartthrob Link Larkin along the way.

Hairspray is based on the 1988 film of the same name which starred Divine and Ricki Lake by cult filmmaker John Waters. With music and lyrics by Academy Award, Tony and Emmy winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, Hairspray originally opened to rave reviews on Broadway in 2002 and subsequently won eight Tony Awards.

The production opened in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2007 and won four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical. Proving to be an international success, Hairspray has also opened in South Africa, Japan, South Korea, China and Dubai. Following the musical’s phenomenal success on stage, a film of the musical was released in 2007 which starred John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer and Zac Efron.

Tickets are available now on the Theatre Royal Plymouth website, starting at £32. The show will be in Plymouth from 24 June to 3 July 2021.