In an era of complacency, it says, 'Dance!' And, albeit with the grains of silly saly provided by likes of Martin Short, Ariana Grande, and the veritable bouffant of spunk that is newcomer Maddie Baillio as Tracy, it says, 'Fight!'Īgain, this is a TV production. Hairspray is set in the 1960s, but is particularly poignant today.

Snarky tweets might have mocked the show's over-simplification: Hairspray is about an overweight Baltimore teen named Tracy Turnblad whose innocent goal of dancing on an American Bandstand-like TV show evolves into a mission to integrate the city (musical theatre is nothing if not lofty).īut sitting back and soaking in the pleasures of Hudson's take-me-to-church belting or Kristin Chenoweth's unrivaled comedic timing while offering even just a passing glance at the show's moralizing, it's hard not to be struck by its message. Is a live TV musical going to be able to blast away hate and intolerance with some energetic dancing and possibly toxic levels of aerosol spray? Certainly not.īut a musical as infectious as this one and a production this well-cast and well-intentioned is a timely reminder of the power of theatre, the healing properties of bravery and hope, and the necessity of a night of earnest fun.

Hairspray live online later