Hairspray Theatre Breaks saw laugh-a-minute musical Hairspray returned to London in April 2020 for another hilarious outing to 1960s Baltimore starring Michael Ball as Edna Turnblad.
The fabulous, over-the-top musical is based upon the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters which launched the career of American talk-show host Rikki Lake and saw an unrecognisable John Travolta don a dress as doting mother Edna Turnbald.
Hairspray Theatre Breaks – the story
Its 1962, the 50s are out and change is in the air. Baltimore’s Tracy Turnblad (played by Freya Sutton), a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one passion - to dance. She wins a spot on the local TV dance programme, The Corny Collins Show and, overnight, is transformed from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity. But can a trendsetter in dance and fashion vanquish the programmes reigning princess, win the heart of dreamboat Link Larkin, and integrate a television show without denting her ’do? Only in Hairspray! Welcome to the 60s!
With lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Whittman – the duo who also co-wrote the music and lyrics for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – their catchy songs take Tracy Turnblad from the the streets of Baltimore to a sound-stage of a 60s-style tv dance show.
The show ran at the London Coliseum on St Martin’s Lane just between Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square and Covent Garden. It opened in April 2020 and closed just three months later, so Hairspray Theatre Breaks were in hot demand.
Nearby accommodation to the London Coliseum include the 3 star St Giles Hotel, the stunning 5 star Radison Blu Edwardian Hampshire Hotel and many options in between.
