‘Hairspray’ Will Be NBC’s Next Live Musical!
Following in the footsteps of “The Sound of Music,” “Peter Pan,” and “The Wiz,” NBC announced its next live-event musical will be none other than the feel-good story of “Hairspray.”
Originally a campy, cult-beloved 1988 John Waters film starring Ricki Lake and the late, great actor and drag queen Divine, the movie tackled topics like weight (it was one of the first times a leading lady was overweight yet happy and well-adjusted), racial integration in 1960s Baltimore, and our nation’s obsession with squeaky-clean dance programs like “American Bandstand.”
While the sound track to the movie was excellent, it wasn’t an actual musical until 2002, when it became a Broadway show, which spawned a 2007 film adaptation starring John Travolta (in drag), Zac Efron, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes, and Nikki Blonsky.
The production, which is slated to make its debut in December, has some pretty big shoes to fill: Last year’s “The Wiz” brought in 11.5 million viewers.
So far, no casting has been announced, although NBC Entertainment head, Bob Greenblatt, said that they’d be “be thrilled to have John Travolta,” although the network isn’t looking to “replicate the movie.” Veteran producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who have worked on all the NBC live musicals since the initial production in 2013, will continue to oversee the show.
