The upbeat tunes of the hit Broadway musical “Hairspray” made their way to live TV on Dec. 7 on NBC. “Hairspray” tells the story of an overweight teenager who becomes a local TV star when she lands a spot on The Corny Collins Show. Taking place in 1962 Baltimore, Turnblad fights body shaming and helps her friends Little Inez (Shahadi Wright Joseph), Motormouth Maybelle (Jennifer Hudson), and Seaweed J. Stubbs (Ephraim Sykes) attack segregation all while trying to win the Miss Teenage Hairspray competition on the show and how and the heart of the show’s heartthrob, Link Larkin (Garrett Clayton).

The cast introduced breakout actress Maddie Baillio, who played leading lady Tracy Turnblad, but also featured some familiar faces such as Ariana Grande and Dove Cameron who played supporting characters Penny Pingleton and Amber Von Tussle, respectively.

Baillio brought a new spunk to Tracy Turnblad with her high energy and cheerful spirit. Her clear and powerful voice took classic songs like “I Can Hear the Bells” and “Good Morning Baltimore” and turned them into her own. Baillio’s incredible dancing helped portray her character’s liveliness and cheerful personality. But, Baillio wasn’t the only person who impressed the audience with their dance moves.  Little Inez (Joseph) and Seaweed J. Stubbs (Sykes) had phenomenal rhythm and the voices to boot. Harvey Fierstein reprised his role as Edna Turnblad with the same lovable fire he had in the original “Hairspray” cast in 2002.  

The costumes welcomed us to the ‘60s with bright and beautiful looks such as Amber and Velma Von Tussle’s bright pink dresses, and Tracy’s piercing blue ensemble. Corny Collin’s bright and energetic outfits helped characterize his energy and liveliness to the audience.  Along with costumes, hair and accesories helped embody the decade look.  Penny’s cat-eye glasses and pigtails with bangs was a perfect way to represent her type of nerdy persona in those times. Tracy’s beehive brought the 1960s back to life and embodied the look of a typical teen girl.

While there were many positives to this production, it also had downsides. During the opening showstopper “Good Morning Baltimore,” Tracy’s microphone cut out a few times, and Baillio forgot some words. There were other small technical errors like this throughout.

Anyone with an appreciation for live theatre and the 1960s aesthetic would enjoy this production because of it’s catchy music and lovable plot line. With a strong cast and score, the beat of “Hairspray” couldn’t be stopped.