Good morning, Baltimore, or at least, fans of Hairspray. NBC has released the first trailer for Hairspray Live, according to Variety.
The newly released trailer shows the cast in their 60s garb and introduces the well-known names who are a part of the show, including Kristin Chenoweth as Velma Von Trussle, Derek Hough as Corny Collins and also introduces newcomer Maddie Baillio, who was cast in the show back in June, as Tracy Turnblad. In the background, viewers get to hear one of the signature songs from the original Broadway show, “You Can’t Stop The Beat.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ7K0sbmIKk
When the show was first announced back in February, NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt spoke to Playbill and talked about his excitement for the newest addition to their live musical genre. “In keeping with our desire to bring the best of Broadway to our live musicals, we’ve assembled the Broadway dream team of Tony Award winners for Hairspray Live. We’re thrilled to have director Kenny Leon, who knocked The Wiz Live way out of the park, and Jerry Mitchell, the original choreographer of Hairspray and who is the director of two smash hit musicals running on Broadway right now.”
Greenblatt also announced that Harvey Fierstein would be reprising his role as Edna Turnblad, who originated the role on Broadway in 2002 and won a Tony Award for his role. The role of Edna is noted for men usually playing the role while in drag.
Hairspray originally came on the scene in 1988 as a movie that starred Ricki Lake as Tracy Turnblad. The movie was adapted to a Broadway show in 2002 and was again released as a film in 2007 that starred Zac Efron as Link Larkin and Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad, among other well-known celebrities.
The newest installment of the show also has well-known celebrities attached to the project, besides Chenoweth, Hough, Fierstein and Baillio. Ariana Grande, Martin Short, Jennifer Hudson, Dove Cameron, Garrett Clayton, Andrea Martin, Rosie O’Donnell and Sean Hayes have also been cast in the show.
Hairspray Live is the fourth musical that NBC has put on in as many years. The first one, The Sound of Music Live, brought in rave reviews and was a ratings success for the network. The second one, Peter Pan Live, wasn’t as well-received as the first installment, both critically and in terms of ratings. The musicals were saved by last year’s musical, The Wiz Live, featuring an all-star cast that included Mary J. Blige and Queen Latifah.
Hairspray Live is expected to air on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. on NBC.
