Last night I saw Hairspray at the Draper Amphitheater and it was so much fun! I had never been to the Draper Amphitheater before but, since I love seeing outdoor performances in the summer, I decided to make the drive and I am so glad I did because it is a great venue and the show was fantastic! Hairspray has always been a favorite of mine (I saw the Broadway touring production a few years ago and another touring production will be coming to SLC next year) because it has such a great message about loving who you are, following your dreams, and standing up for what you believe is right. Plus-sized Tracy Turnblad (Linze Struiksma) wants to be one of the dancers on the Corny Collins (Weston Seiler) Show, to have Link Larkin (Austin Kimbell) notice her, to integrate the show so her Black friends can dance with her, and to win the Miss Teenage Hairspray crown. Velma Von Tussle (Marilyn Oveson) and her daughter Amber (Kellie Seiler) do everything they can to stop her but Tracy proves that you can't stop the beat and makes all of her dreams come true. The main cast is outstanding but I particularly enjoyed Struiksma's performance as Tracy because she could really dance and was very charismatic. I also really enjoyed Gennell Goodman as Motormouth Maybelle, because her rendition of "I Know Where I've Been" brought the crowd to their feet, and Chad Smith and Joey West as Edna and Wilbur Turblad, respectively, because their antics were incredibly amusing in "Timeless to Me." The ensemble is also very noteworthy, especially all of the dancers on the Corny Collins Show and the Dynamites (Ariana Marshall, Rebecca Meats, and Kimberly Teitter), because they execute the choreography very well. I especially loved the staging of "The Big Doll House" (the tap dancing!), "Nicest Kid in Town," "I Can Hear the Bells," "Run and Tell That," "Hairspray," and "You Can't Stop the Beat." My favorite song in the show is "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" and Struiksma, Kellie Seiler, and Kaitlyn Schreiner (as Penny Pingleton) did such a good job with it. I loved the costumes (the sheer number of costumes is very impressive) because they were so colorful and sparkly. The set was a lot of fun with a giant LED television screen that featured live shots in black and white of the Corny Collins Show. I really enjoyed every aspect of this show and it was wonderful to sit outside because the weather was absolutely perfect (although it did get a tad cold when the sun went down). I highly recommend getting a ticket for one of the remaining shows (go here) through June 11.
Note: Most of the seating is on grassy tiers so bring a blanket or a camp chair and grab some snacks because food is allowed.
