PFHS Theater’s rendition of “Hairspray” was met with praise and record-breaking ticket sales
Polka dots, bright pinks, blues, and oranges, big skirts and even bigger hair. For this year’s spring performance, Potomac Falls put on the musical “Hairspray,” a spunky show that takes place during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. To the delight of theater director Corinne Fox and student director sophomore Kay Weiss, the musical turned out to be a smash hit.
The actors’ performances were outstanding and effortlessly caught the attention of the crowd for the entire show. Seniors Natalie Brown (Tracy Turnblad), Charles Fisher (Seaweed Stubbs), and Owen Cook (Edna Turnblad) shined in the spotlight. The audience couldn’t get enough of Brown’s compelling singing, Fisher’s dance moves, and Cook’s hilarious stage presence. The show did an outstanding job of handling the mix of a witty and fun musical yet conveying the underlying themes of racial injustice. Heavy topics were handled with care while still making room for levity.
Other notable performances were freshman and sophomore Eli Coelho as Tracy’s love interest Link Larkin and Emily Montgomery as Tracy’s best friend Penny Pingleton. Junior Harmony Scott’s (Motormouth Maybelle) bold voice and even bolder costume, complete with padding, stole the show every time she took the stage.
Saturday May 3 saw a full house and an interactive audience. Many times the room erupted with laughter and played along with the cleverly placed adult jokes throughout the show. The audience especially enjoyed musical numbers such as “You Can’t Stop the Beat”, “Mama I’m A Big Girl Now”, “Without Love”, and “The Nicest Kids in Town”. Both main characters and assembled members did an excellent job on stage, and it should come as no surprise that this performance will be talked about for a very long time.
The stage lights, masterfully operated by Riverbend’s theater director Paul Simonton, brought the show to life. Throughout the performance, the lights were used to convey tone and mood, as well as to display the various locations in which our characters sang. One moment that stuck out was when junior Rachel Sigler (Velma Von Tussle), sang the number “The Legend of Miss Baltimore Crabs,” and the lights went a furious, scarlet red. Though this method of stage light choreography has been done time in and time out, its execution was subtle yet extremely efficient in displaying Velma’s villainous intentions and rage. Another key moment was when the lights were used to portray jail cells in the number “The Big Doll house,” cleverly providing a substitute to stage props and allowing us to better see our characters.
For those unfamiliar with “Hairspray,” the usage of drag for Edna Turnblad’s character may catch you off guard. “Hairspray” fanatics know this is true to the original film with Divine starring in the role and John Travolta reprising it in the remake, so Cook playing the role of Turnblad was a perfect casting.
The costume department did an exceptional job of bringing the characters we know and love to life. With huge round skirts for the girls, and colorful suits for the boys, the costumes were eye-catching and fabulous. In similar fashion, the hair styles were characterized by big up dos and, as the name suggests, lots of hairspray. Most notably were Cook’s hilarious and flashy outfit change in the number “Welcome to the 60’s” and Montgomery’s outfit change in “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” reflecting her change in confidence as well as maturity.
From beginning to end, an immense amount of effort and talent went into this production. It opened with “Good Morning Baltimore,” and shedded light on the various struggles our characters faced. It then closed with “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” and though all problems of racial injustice and gender inequality were not solved, our characters seemed to find closure and feel empowered.
photo courtesy of Will Starr