How ‘Hairspray’ Has Managed To Stay Relevant Throughout The Years
Welcome to the 60’s — er, the 2010’s — where the Broadway musical hit Hairspray is still captivating audiences with its culturally relevant themes and inspiration.
What makes Hairspray so unique as a musical production is that it’s originally based on a 1988 film by John Waters, yet it takes place in the 1960’s — hence, the song title “Welcome To The 60’s” — before making its Broadway debut in 2002.
The following year, Hairspray brought home eight Tony awards — including for Best Musical — and remained in production on Broadway through January 2009.
Now, this historic, funky, and timelessly relevant show has made its way to San Diego Musical Theatre.
But before the lights of “The Corny Collins Show” shine on Tracy Turnblad here at the Horton Grand Theatre, it might be a good time to explore what makes Hairspray such an inspiring and culturally relevant show.
The Plot Of Hairspray
Even on its surface, Hairspray is one of the more inspiring and unique Broadway musical productions. The story follows a young, energetic Tracy Turnblad, a teenager in Maryland whose one and only dream is to dance on “The Corny Collins Show.”
Tracy gets a warning from school for having “inappropriate hair height” and is discouraged from auditioning for the show by her mother due to her fears that she would be chastised for her weight — which ultimately becomes the reason why she is rejected from the show.
Also rejected is a young black girl, Little Inez, which discourages Tracy further. She is ultimately put in detention for that hairdo (or “hair-don’t”) and meets a black dancer who teaches her some new moves to wow Corny Collins himself.
Ultimately, Tracy becomes an overnight star thanks to her newfound dance moves and uses her new platform to advocate for racial integration on the show.
It’s a tale of overcoming bullies, discrimination, and ultimately racism in a society that didn’t treat people equally.
Themes In Hairspray
The themes of Hairspray have to do with issues like discrimination and racism — specifically toward women and black Americans.
These are issues that are still prevalent in society today, which is why seeing Tracy and her friends triumph over these problems still resonates with audiences across the nation.
Tracy fights for inclusion and open-mindedness in an era where those things were typically frowned upon, which helps make the messages in Hairspray inspirational.
See Hairspray In San Diego
Want to experience the tunes, themes, and tumults of Tracy Turnblad and the crew for yourself? Get your tickets to see Hairspray and other Broadway shows in San Diego today.
San Diego Musical Theatre is your local way to see Broadway — with toe-tapping professional productions in our historic Horton Grand Theatre.
If you’re looking for things to do in San Diego, then it’s time you take in a wonderful Broadway musical production.
Get tickets to Hairspray, a Tony Award-winning musical that is as touching as it is inspiring, and visit SDMT to learn more about our musical productions.
