Hairspray

7.30pm Thursday 15 & Friday 16 August
5.00pm Saturday 17 August

Wesley College’s Elsternwick campus will present the popular Broadway musical Hairspray in the iconic National Theatre in St Kilda. The cast of 75 Middle School students are looking forward to bringing the bright, energetic story of teenager, Tracy Turnblad to life in August.

The story is set in 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland, and quirky, plus-sized Tracy has one dream: to dance on The Corny Collins Show. When she gets put in detention with the African-American students in the school, they teach her some of their dance moves, and her new found groove wins her a spot on Corny’s show. Overnight, Tracy transforms from a nobody into a star, and uses her newfound influence to advocate for racial integration on the television show. Tracy faces scrutiny and bullying from the network producer, Velma, and her popular, but vicious, daughter, Amber. With the help of the teenage heartthrob Link, host Corny Collins, and Motormouth Maybelle (the host of ‘Negro Day’), Tracy overcomes the odds and succeeds in her mission to integrate The Corny Collins Show.

Tony Award-winning Hairspray continues to be one of the most widely produced musicals today, not only because of its wit and charm, but also because of the beautiful message of acceptance and progress that it portrays. This is a story that teaches us all to look past the colour of one’s skin and fight for every human being’s equal rights.

PERFORMANCE TIMES