Welcome to the 60s

Review: Hairspray Live

The cast of Hairspray Live, led by Maddie Baillio (center)

When NBC announced The Sound of Music Live would premiere on December 5th, 2013, no one was sure what to expect from a contemporary company resurrecting a long dead entertainment format. The resulting telecast wasn't particularly well liked (I maintain it isn't as bad as many people claim), but it was a ratings smash that guaranteed a follow-up. 2014 brought Peter Pan Live, a much better production of a much worse show, while 2015 gave us the often charming but structurally bizarre The Wiz Live. 

Then early this year, Fox's attempt to blatantly cash in on this live musical craze shockingly produced the legitimately wonderful Grease Live, all the more impressive considering it was the network's first attempt at the format. Not wanting to be outdone, NBC doubled down by picking a legitimately great musical comedy in the Tony-winning Hairspray, and smartly (some would say shamelessly) aped Grease Live's biggest innovations: the use of a studio backlot and a live studio audience. Hairspray Live is fittingly NBC's most entertaining live musical to date, although it doesn't quite have the focus or technical precision of Fox's venture.

For those unfamiliar with the original John Waters film, the Broadway musical adaptation, or the 2007 musical film, Hairspray tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, a bighearted and full-figured girl in 1960s Baltimore. Tracy manages to score a spot dancing on her favorite TV program, the Corny Collins Show, much to the chagrin of the show's produce Velma von Tussle and her daughter, Amber. But Tracy soon finds herself drawn to a higher calling as she fights against the racial discrimination of the TV station, all while wooing its resident heartthrob Link Larkin. Cached within the candy colored sets and 1960's nostalgia is a powerful and unfortunately still timely message about fighting racism and bigotry, which lends this feel good fable a huge amount of relevance in the current political climate.

One thing that is readily apparent watching Hairspray Live is what a truly great musical it is. The score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman is one of the finest collections of showtunes from the past 20 years, combining supremely catchy hooks with deft lyrics and harmonic complexity. The showstopping numbers just keep coming, and while the book (adapted for television by Harvey Fierstein) doesn't have quite enough room for both the large number of subplots and jokes, it's so much fun you rarely care. Next to The Sound of Music, this is the sturdiest musical to be mounted on live TV, and that solid construction goes a long way towards keeping everything entertaining.

Hairspray Live is also incredibly well cast, utilizing a combination of marquee names and relative unknowns to create a delightful ensemble of quirky characters. Newcomer Maddie Baillo is charming as Tracy, although an understandable amount of nerves seem to hamper her for the first 15 minutes. Harvey Fierstein recreates his Tony-winning role as Tracy's mother Edna, and it is a treat to watch this veteran musical comedy performer reprise one of his most iconic roles. Martin Short comes across as slightly manic playing Tracy's father Wilbur, but its easy to forgive the excesses of such a giving performance from a such seasoned comic.

Pop singer Ariana Grande throws herself into the role of Tracy's best friend Penny, and while she doesn't quite nail the part's comic timing her earnestness is infectious (and as expected, she can really wail). Ephraim Sykes is supremely confident and charming as Seaweed J. Stubbs, the black dancer responsible for opening Tracy's eyes to the need for a fully integrated Corny Collins Show. And while Dancing with the Stars alum Derek Hough is suitable smooth as the show's host, Disney Channel star Garrett Clayton falls flat as Link. Clayton exhibits exhibiting zero charisma or chemistry with any of his costars, and that lack of star power probably explains why the number "Ladies Choice" was taken from Link and given to Hough, who uses it to really show off his dance skills.

As the villain of the piece, Kristin Chenoweth shines playing ex-beauty queen and unapologetic racist Velma von Tussle. A former pageant girl herself, Chenoweth brings every ounce of her comic might and singing prowess to the role, chewing the scenery in the best way possible during her standout "Miss Baltimore Crabs." Dove Cameron, another Disney Channel star, is also wonderful as Chenoweth's daughter, showcasing an appropriate mean girl vibe and surprisingly strong singing chops. And while she has a relatively minor role, Andrea Martin is hilarious as always as Penny's conservative mother Prudy. (The presence of Chenoweth, Martin, and Fierstein convinced the producers to include the excellent "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now," a number from the stage show that was cut from the film.)

The true standout of the evening, however, is Jennifer Hudson as Seaweed's mother, Motormouth Maybelle. The Oscar and Grammy-winner doesn't appear until almost halfway through the evening, and her entrance is the jolt of energy the show needs just as it's beginning to flag. Hudson has always been more of a personality than an actress, but her particular brand of sass is exactly what the role calls for, and she subsequently knocks it out of the park. She sounds phenomenal during her first number, so much so that you don't even mind that she is far to svelte to be singing about the joys of being "Big, Blonde, and Beautiful." And her rendition of the power ballad "I Know Where I've Been" late in the second half is simply outstanding, the showstopping highlight of the evening.

With so much talent on display, it's doubly disappointing that the camerawork rarely offers a good view of the action. While cutting between multiple cameras during a live broadcast cannot be easy - especially when the actors are singing and dancing through multiple sets on a sprawling studio backlot - one would expect NBC to have figured out a better way to do it by now, especially since Hairspray Live's director Kenny Leon helmed last year's musical outing as well. The continuous quick cuts often detract from Jerry Mitchell's slickly polished and energetic dance routines, as well as obscuring much of the first class scenery chewing being done by supporting players like Chenoweth. The camera often arrives on a moment either slightly too soon or too late, which combined with the overly dark lighting makes it difficult to really see what's going on.

Overall, Hairspray Live is a highly enjoyable affair, and easily the best overall live musical production to come out of NBC. But four years in it still doesn't feel like the network has entirely nailed the format, which is both disappointing and frustrating. These live musicals are a worthy pursuit for the network, and I honestly hope they continue to be annual events. Hairspray is definitely a move in the right direction, but there's still room for improvement.

The Rhythm is Gonna Get You

Review: On Your Feet!

Ana Villafañe and the cast of On Your Feet!, clearly having an absolute blast.

When people discuss great works of musical theatre, the conversation tends to steer towards shows that have weighty sociological or philosophical themes underlying all their razzle dazzle (think West Side Story, Rent, Hamilton, or any of the works of Stephen Sondheim). Judged by those standards, On Your Feet! is far from a great musical, but it is a highly entertaining one, thanks to the infectious music of Latin crossover sensation Gloria Estefan, high-energy dance routines, and a beguiling central performance by newcomer Ana Villafañe. Polished to a high sheen by all involved, chances are you'll be too busy having fun to really worry about the piece's structural flaws.

On Your Feet! tells the story of Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio, following the pop singer from her days as a plucky child with the dream through her rise to international superstardom. The show hits all the requisite bio-musical story beats, including her struggles against unsupportive record labels, her romance and eventual marriage to writing partner Emilio, and the pressures fame places upon her and her family. Bookwriter Alexander Dinelaris dutifully shuttles the story from one plot point to another while working in all of the Estefans' biggest hits, providing just enough personal details in the process to keep the characters from feeling like complete caricatures.

Yet Dinelaris also glosses over some key points in Gloria's life and career. The Estefans go from playing small Miami clubs in one scene to fighting the record label over their contractual right to release an English-language recording in the next, but we never see or hear how they got said contract in the first place. They also have a son at some point, who just sort of appears as a nine-year-old without any other indication a significant amount of time has passed. It's not that you can't follow the plot, but a bit more specificity would be appreciated. To Dinelaris' credit (and the Estefans', who were heavily involved in the show's development), the book doesn't shy away from Gloria's sometimes contentious relationship with her mother or the arguments she would have with Emilio over her grueling schedule, which provides just enough dramatic tension to sustain interest between production numbers.

Like Dinelaris' book, Jerry Mitchell's direction is more workman-like than inspired. It gets the job done, but it isn't especially memorable or inventive. The clear highlight of the staging is Sergio Trujillo's exuberant production numbers, which pop with an authentic Latin flair that never gets old. When the entire cast gets onstage to shake their moneymakers to the bouncing "Conga" beat or proudly proclaim "The Rhythm is Gonna Get You," don't be surprised if your toes start tapping along. Both acts end with the cast entreating the audience to get up and dance, and it is a testament to the energetic and fun spirit of the evening that most people need little coercion to comply. (One has to imagine that two-time Best Choreography Tony-winner Mitchell had at least a partial hand in the dances, which helps make up for his run of the mill staging elsewhere.)

Leading the cast in a first-rate Broadway debut is Cuban-American actress Ana Villafañe as Gloria Estefan, and the talented young performer looks and sounds so much like the pop icon that it can be disconcerting. Her voice is a dead ringer for Estefan's, with a glorious lower register that seamlessly transitions into a bright yet powerful belt that mimics the latter's most famous recordings. Villafañe also proves herself quite the capable actress and dancer, radiating the kind of confidence and joy that made Estefan an international superstar and elevating the entire production in the process. She is definitely one to watch, and fits the role so perfectly it's difficult to imagine On Your Feet! without her.

Josh Segarra is both charming and handsome as Emilio Estefan, who first discovered Gloria and shepherded her to superstar status. Much of the show's humor comes at Segarra's expense, from his initial entrance in ridiculous short-shorts to a running joke about Emilio's tenuous grasp on the English language. The actor is game for whatever is thrown his way, and while his singing voice is occasionally overpowered by the orchestra and the rest of the singers that doesn't make his performance any less endearing. Broadway veteran Andrea Burns does fine work as Gloria's initially skeptical mother, delivering the most fully realized character while also getting her own show-stopping moment via flashback.

Visually, On Your Feet! is an appealing combination of the most outlandish and sophisticated elements of the 1980s. Costume designer ESosa utilizes beautiful pastels and jewel tones to make every character pop, and has a lot of fun creating his own riffs on the most iconic 80s fashion. Shoulder pads, leg warmers, and high-waisted everything all get their time to shine in ESosa's work, and he knows exactly how much neon and sparkle to use to capture the decade's boldness without descending into gaudiness. David Rockwell's set often takes a backseat to the costumes, but overall the show has a cohesive look that is tied together using Kenneth Posner's concert-influenced lighting.

On Your Feet! succeeds at what it sets out to do, which is to be an enjoyable piece of escapist entertainment. Ana Villafañe leads an excellent cast of singer/dancers in large scale production numbers set to some of the catchiest songs of the late 80s and early 90s, and like the Estefans' music the show is both upbeat and life-affirming. Those who go in with the right set of expectations will be surprised by how much fun they can have, and those who want their musicals with a bit more meat on their bones probably won't be all that interested in the first place.

Drag Queens Just Want to Have Fun

Review:  Kinky Boots

Whatever Lola (Billy Porter, right) wants, Lola gets.

When pop musicians decide to write a Broadway musical, they must find a way to marry the catchy melodies and repeated choruses that spell success on the radio with the more story-driven nature of modern musical theatre.  Sometimes they fail miserably, as evidenced by the ghastly, incomprehensible score Bono and the Edge created for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.  But sometimes, as in the Cyndi Lauper-scored new musical Kinky Boots, they manage to use their pop prowess to create infinitely hummable tunes that still propel the plot forward.  Kinky Boots, which also features a book by Harvey Fierstein and direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell, is not a perfect musical, but it is a delightful first try by the eighties icon that is one of the most giddily entertaining new musicals of the past several seasons.

Based on the motion picture of the same name, Kinky Boots tells the story of Charlie Price, who inherits his father’s struggling shoe factory after the old man’s untimely death.  Stuck with a responsibility he never asked for and an entire factory’s worth of friends facing unemployment, Charlie is at the end of his rope until a chance encounter with a drag queen named Lola.  As Lola explains, finding fittingly fabulous shoes in men’s sizes can be quite the tricky feat, and Charlie realizes that creating footwear for this niche market could be his last hope of saving the factory from financial ruin.

Lauper’s signature sound adapts surprisingly well to the musical theatre form, resulting in an energetic pop score that fleshes out the story and characters through a steady stream of great melodic hooks.  The repetitive choruses occasionally betray Lauper’s pop roots, but overall the songs strike a nice balance between feeling comfortingly familiar and excitingly fresh. 

In between all the ear candy, Fierstein’s often hilarious book balances clever one-liners with an emotional honesty that makes Charlie, Lola, and their collection of quirky friends feel like genuine people rather than character archetypes.  The writer has previously explored the same themes of acceptance and defied expectations in his previous drag extravaganza La Cage aux Folles, but Kinky Boots is so charmingly executed that the repetition hardly matters.  Fierstein displays a consistent gift for story structure and characterization that is all too rare in today’s musicals, and Boots is another strong addition to his sterling resume.

Director/choreographer Mitchell does well by the material, although his work here lacks the inventiveness and wit of his surprisingly strong staging for Legally Blonde.  The biggest problem is that while full of pep and vigor, the score is surprisingly short on full-blown production numbers, giving Mitchell relatively few opportunities to make full use of his choreographic gifts.  This is in no way meant to imply the other songs are anything less than superb, but they don’t quite play to the director’s strengths.  On the positive side, the few production numbers that are present are an obscene amount of fun, particularly the Act I finale “Everybody Say Yeah.”

The talented writers are aided by an equally talented cast, and while there are many standouts, the heart and soul of Kinky Boots is the divinely divaliscious Billy Porter as Lola.  Kicking the show into high gear with his first appearance, Porter possesses a magnetic stage presence that fills the Al Hirschfeld to the bursting point.  His Lola embodies the combination of camp and sincerity that defines Kinky Boots as a whole, and if anything Porter could probably go slightly more over-the-top without harming the show’s entertainment quotient.  Late in the show Charlie describes the “great gaping gap” Lola leaves behind when she exits a room, and so it is whenever Porter leaves the stage; thankfully, he always reappears quickly, and in increasingly fantastic ensembles to boot.

Stark Sands graduates to leading man status with aplomb, imbuing Charlie with an approachable Everyman quality while preserving the character’s individuality.  Sands’ two big solos don’t quite land the way you’d like them to, but the golden-voiced performer acts the hell out of his book scenes and maintains a refreshing level of credibility throughout.  Annaleigh Ashford brings a delightful level of camp to her relatively minor role of Lauren, and her “The History of Wrong Guys” is the most outright hilarious song in the show.  And while the entire ensemble deserves mention, special kudos must be given to the six drag Angels who provide frequently outrageous background business without ever upstaging queen bee Lola.

Visually, the show strikes the perfect balance between the working class realities of its industrial setting and the kitschy fantasy world of Lola and her Angels.  David Rockwell’s unassuming but surprisingly versatile factory set seamlessly reconfigures itself into a tiny flat, Lola’s underground club, and even a boxing ring (an unexpected second act diversion which the Angels turn into a magnificently campy highlight).  Costumer Gregg Barnes deserves a Tony nomination for the Angels’ finale outfits alone, but this gifted designer is equally at home dressing the blue-collar factory workers and the bourgeois members of Milan’s fashion elite.  And the titular boots look as gloriously gaudy as you could possibly hope, adding immensely to the show’s already sizable appeal.

Coming off a decidedly lackluster fall for new musicals, Kinky Boots feels like a godsend.  It is an unabashedly entertaining show filled to the brim with charm and good humor, and sports an always relevant message about accepting yourself and others for who they are.  The entire cast is filled with talented performers using all their varied gifts to entertain, with Billy Porter’s Lola emerging as one of the most memorable characters to sashay across the Broadway stage in several seasons.  Those searching for an evening of high art will be disappointed, but they were never the target audience of this show to begin with.  The rest of us can – and should – revel in Kinky Boots’ delightfully daffy spell.

PS - This is my 100th post!  Thank you everyone for reading.  Here's to the next 100 :-)