''Hairspray Live!'' is an American

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of en ...

that aired

live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

on the American television network

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

on December 7, 2016. Produced by

Craig Zadan Craig Zadan (April 15, 1949 – August 20, 2018) was an American producer and writer. Working alone and with Neil Meron, his partner in the production company Storyline Entertainment, he produced such films as ''Footloose'', ''Chicago'' and ...

and

Neil Meron Neil Meron (born October 26, 1955) is an American film producer known for producing the film adaptations of ''Chicago'' and ''Hairspray''. With partner Craig Zadan he ran the production company Storyline Entertainment until Zadan's death in 20 ...

, and hosted by

Darren Criss Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series ''Glee (TV series), Glee'' (2010–2015) and received a Primetime Emmy Awards, Primetime Emmy Award and ...

, it is a performance of a new adaptation of the 2002 Broadway musical ''

Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * Hairspray (1988 film), ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** Hairspray (1988 soundtrack), ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundt ...

'', which is based on the 1988 film of the same name.

Premise

''Hairspray Live!'' takes place in 1962

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. Teenager Tracy Turnblad's dream is to dance on ''The Corny Collins Show'', a local TV program. When, against all odds, Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight and meets a colorful array of characters, including Link, the resident dreamboat; Amber, the ambitious mean girl; Seaweed, an African-American boy she meets in detention; and his mother, Motormouth Maybelle, owner of a local record store. Tracy's mother is the indomitable Edna Turnblad, and she eventually encourages Tracy on her campaign to integrate the all-White ''Corny Collins Show''.

Cast and characters

MainHetrick, Adam
"Billy Eichner Added to 'Hairspray Live!' — Full Cast Revealed"
Playbill, September 21, 2016 * Maddie Baillio as Tracy Turnblad *

Harvey Fierstein Harvey Forbes Fierstein ( ; born June 6, 1952) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter, known for his distinctive gravelly voice. He gained notice for his theater work in '' Torch Song Trilogy'', winning both the Tony Award for Best ...

as Edna Turnblad *

Martin Short Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian and American comedian, actor, and writer. Short is known as an energetic comedian who gained prominence for his roles in sketch comedy. He has also acted in numerous films and television ...

as Wilbur Turnblad *

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, producer, and talk show host. Having received List of awards and nominations received by Jennifer Hudson, numerous accolades for ...

as "Motormouth" Maybelle Stubbs * Garrett Clayton as Link Larkin *

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...

as Penny Pingleton *

Derek Hough Derek Bruce Hough (; born May 17, 1985) is an American professional Latin dance, Latin and ballroom dancer, choreographer, actor and singer. From 2007 to 2016, Hough was a professional dancer on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC dance compe ...

as Corny Collins *

Kristin Chenoweth Kristin Dawn Chenoweth (; born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth; July 24, 1968)Kristin Cheno ...

as Velma Von Tussle * Dove Cameron as Amber Von Tussle *

Ephraim Sykes Ephraim Manessah Sykes (born July 17, 1985, in St. Petersburg, Florida) is an American actor and singer. Sykes played the role of George Eacker in the original Broadway cast of the musical ''Hamilton (musical), Hamilton''. In 2017, Sykes originat ...

as Seaweed J. Stubbs *

Shahadi Wright Joseph Shahadi Wright Joseph (born April 29, 2005) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is best known for her starring role in Jordan Peele's horror film '' Us'' (2019), the voice for Young Nala in Jon Favreau's musical film '' The Lion King'' ...

as Inez Stubbs Minor roles *

Andrea Martin Andrea Louise Martin (born January 15, 1947) is an American and Canadian actress, best known for her work in the television series '' SCTV'' and '' Great News''. She has appeared in films such as '' Black Christmas'' (1974), '' Wag the Dog'' (1 ...

as Prudy Pingleton * Paul Vogt as Mr. Harriman F. Spritzer *

Billy Eichner Billy Eichner ( ; born September 18, 1978) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and television show host. He is the star, executive producer, and creator of Funny or Die's '' Billy on the Street'', a comedy game show that aired on truT ...

as Rob Barker * Sean Hayes as Mr. Pinky *

Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American talk show host, comedian, and actress. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series ''Star Search'' in 1984. After a series of television ...

as The Gym TeacherHolloway, Stanley
"Rosie O'Donnell, Sean Hayes Join 'Hairspray Live' Cast"
''Variety'', August 2, 2016 Council members * Riley Costello as Brad * Marissa Heart as Tammy * Mason Trueblood as Fender * Jacque Lewarne as Brenda * Ricky Schroeder as Sketch * Helene Britany as Shelley * Sam Faulkner as I.Q. * Kelli Erdmann as Lou Ann * Katherine Roarty as Kooks * Heather Tepe as Belle * Tommy Martinez as Corey * Karl Skyler Urban as Jon The Dynamites * Kamilah Marshall * Judine Somerville * Shayna Steele Motormouth Kids * Joshua Alexander as James * Will B. Bell as Duane * Joanna Jones as Genie Mae * Tiana Okoye as Lorraine * Amos Oliver III as Thad * Re'sean Pates as Jackie * Rhon Saunders as Gilbert Various ensemble * Zack Everhart, Annie Gratton, Thomasina Gross, Allie Meixner, Eliotte Nicole, Tyler Parks, Andrew Pirozzi, Joy Marie Thomas, Keenan Washington, and Jason Williams Cameos *

Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film '' Hairspray'', for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for ...

(Tracy Turnblad in the original 1988 film) and

Marissa Jaret Winokur Marissa Jaret Winokur (born February 2, 1973), sometimes credited as Marissa Winokur, is an American actress and singer known for her Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, Tony-winning performance as Tracy Turnblad in the Broadway theatre, ...

(original Tracy Turnblad on Broadway) as Mr. Pinky's Girls

Personnel

Musicians *Pete Anthony – conductor, keyboards *Wade Culbreath – percussion *Greg Howe – lead guitar *George Doering – rhythm guitar *Don Payne – electric bass *Clint de Ganon – drums *Jim Cox – piano, keyboards *Jenny Scheming, Moses Holland – violins *Keith Norman – viola *Richard Schenker – cello *Jerry Hey, Gary Grant – trumpets *Bill Reichenbach Jr. – trombone *Kim Hutchcroft, Larry Williams – saxophones, flutes *Allie Feder, Baraka May, Jackie Seiden, Dorian Holley, Fred White, Arnold McCuller – backing vocals *Dorian Holley – vocal coach Dancers *Thomasina Gross *Andrew Pirozzi *Allie Meixner *Tyler Parks *Keenan D. Washington *Zack Everhart Jr. *Annie Gratton *Unissa Cruse Ferguson *Joy Marie Thomas *Drew Hoffman *Eliotte Nicole

Musical numbers

The musical numbers from the track list of the soundtrack."Hairspray LIVE! Original Soundtrack of the NBC Television Event"
Amazon, Retrieved October 24, 2016

Production

Development

''Hairspray Live!'' served as NBC's fourth entry in its series of made-for-TV musical telecasts, behind '' The Wiz Live!'', ''

Peter Pan Live! ''Peter Pan Live!'' is an American television special that was broadcast by NBC on December 4, 2014. The special featured a live production of the 1954 musical adaptation of '' Peter Pan'', televised from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York, ...

'', and ''

The Sound of Music Live! ''The Sound of Music Live!'' is an American television special that was originally broadcast by NBC on December 5, 2013. Directed by Rob Ashford and Beth McCarthy-Miller, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, and written by Austin Winsberg, t ...

''. As with its predecessors, it was executive produced by

and

. The project was revealed by NBC's entertainment head Bob Greenblatt during a

Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association (TCA) is a group of approximately 200 American and Canadian television critics, journalists and columnists who cover television programming for newspapers, magazines and web publications. The TCA accepts appli ...

press tour in January 2016. In response to early reports that NBC was considering a live version of ''

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical theatre, musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns a confidence trick, con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and ...

'', ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'', or '' Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella'', Greenblatt stated that "people have been saying to me since ''The Wiz'', 'Do this show, do that show.' I've heard obscure titles and famous titles. Not everything's going to be a big name to the whole audience. I don't think there's an infinite number of these that can be done. But we're still doing it." He explained that the production would not try to emulate the 2007 film (also produced by Zadan and Meron), but that he would have been thrilled if

John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...

reprised his role in it. Kenny Leon returned in his role as director from ''The Wiz'', and was joined by Alex Rudzinski—who co-directed '' Grease: Live'' for

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

. The musical was adapted for television by

from the original book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan.

Jerry Mitchell Jerry Mitchell is an American theatre director and choreographer. Early life and education Born in Paw Paw, Michigan, Mitchell later moved to St. Louis where he pursued his acting, dancing and directing career in theatre. Although he did not ...

, the choreographer of the Broadway version of ''Hairspray'', was also involved with the adaptation. In contrast to NBC's previous musicals, ''Hairspray Live!'' was produced from the Universal Studios backlot; Greenblatt explained that a "fair amount" of the show would be staged in outdoor settings, and thus "have a real exuberance in the open air." Additionally, live audiences were integrated into relevant scenes as extras on-stage, such as bystanders in Baltimore, and as the studio audience of ''The Corny Collins Show''.Clement, Olivia
"Exclusive: 'Hairspray Live!' to Feature Live Audience and New Songs"
Playbill, April 26, 2016 Two numbers written for the 2007 film, " Ladies' Choice" and "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)", were incorporated into the production. "The Big Dollhouse", from the Broadway show, was cut, while "The New Girl In Town", written for the stage show but cut and only used in the film, was not added.Gioia, Michael
"Musical Numbers for 'Hairspray Live!' Revealed"
Playbill, November 4, 2016 (An instrumental version of the song is, however, heard very briefly as a bit of background music.)

Casting

In addition to adapting the book, Fierstein reprised the role of Edna Turnblad from the Broadway musical; Greenblatt felt that his performance of Edna was "iconic", and that his involvement with ''Hairspray Live!'' made it "come full circle". NBC cast the lead role of Tracy Turnblad through an open call in New York City, hoping to repeat the "phenomenal discovery" of Shanice Williams for ''The Wiz Live!''. The role went to college sophomore Maddie Baillio, as her first professional role. In November 2016, it was announced that

and

(who portrayed Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film and the Broadway version respectively) would make cameo appearances;Gioia, Michael
"Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson Will Duet on 'Hairspray Live!' Finale"
Playbill, November 16, 2016 Winokur and Lake appeared as employees of Mr. Pinky's boutique.

served as an on-air host, hosting a half-hour ''Countdown to Hairspray Live!'' show on NBC with

Kristin Chenoweth Kristin Dawn Chenoweth (; born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth; July 24, 1968)Kristin Cheno ...

and Sean Hayes, as well as behind-the-scenes reports throughout the live broadcast.

Marketing

Oreo Oreo (; stylized in all caps) is an American brand of sandwich cookie consisting of two cocoa biscuits with a sweet fondant filling. Oreos were introduced in 1912 by Nabisco, and the brand has been owned by Mondelez International since its me ...

, Reddi-wip, and

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

broadcast live, themed commercials during ''Hairspray Live!''; Oreo's ad featured the character of Corny Collins, Reddi-wip's ad featured a

milkman Milk delivery is a Delivery (commerce), delivery service dedicated to supplying milk, typically in milk bottle, bottles or cartons, to customers' homes. This service is performed by a milkman, milkwoman, or milk deliverer. (In contrast, a Cowman ...

character (Evan Strand) backstage and performing a dance number, while Toyota's ad featured a vintage

Toyota Corolla The is a series of compact cars (formerly Subcompact car, subcompact) manufactured and marketed globally by the Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. Introduced in 1966, the Corolla was the best-selling car worldwide by 1974 and has bee ...

and a current model in celebration of the vehicle's 50th anniversary.

Reception

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, the special holds a 76% rating based on 25 reviews, with an

average In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...

of 8.2/10. The site's consensus states: "''Hairspray Live!'' shimmers with outstanding performances, an engaging story, and songs that let its stars shine." It has a score of 66 from 14 critics on

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Neil Genzlinger of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote: "NBC lassoed some talented performers with fine singing voices but sacrificed cohesion by cramming the evening with too much interstitial fluff.... Only Jennifer Hudson, who played Motormouth Maybelle, found the real strength of this Tony-winning musical, delivering a knockout rendition of 'I Know Where I've Been'..." He noted that Baillio "did pretty well, though no novice is going to compete with voices like those of Ms. Hudson and Kristin Chenoweth..." Sonia Saraiya of '' Variety'' wrote that it "took a few musical numbers to settle into a rhythm. But once it did (the energy seemed to kick in with "Welcome to the '60s") the musical easily became the best NBC has attempted. It's hard to imagine better casting for the production. Jennifer Hudson stole the show... Ariana Grande, certifiable pop star, came away as the show's MVP, acting as both reliably overlook-able sidekick and, once the situation required it, showstopping diva. Harvey Fierstein was predictably great... Martin Short... found the right profile for himself as Wilbur." Rebecca Bunch of ''The TV Ratings Guide'' called the production "a great experience through and through." She called he cast "top notch", and praised Grande and Hudson in particular. She also named "You Can't Stop the Beat" the best musical moment of the night and stated that "they really knocked it out of the park", stating that "NBC really put together something amazing here." Caroline Siede of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' wrote that "As a piece of social commentary, tonight's production of ''Hairspray Live!'' was just about flawless." She stated that Dove Cameron and Ephraim Sykes were "consistently fun to watch", Chenoweth and Hudson "were the biggest scene-stealers.", and Fierstein, Short, and Martin "were all wonderful as well." She rated the telecast a B+. In his 2019 essay collection ''Mr. Know-It-All'',

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

called the special "OK—but the weakest" of ''Hairspray''s various iterations, expressing reservations about some of the casting decisions, as well as lamenting that neither he nor any surviving cast members of '' The Buddy Deane Show'', the real-life basis of ''The Corny Collins Show'', were consulted for the production.

Viewership

''Hairspray Live!'' was seen by 9.05 million viewers, with a ratings share of 2.3 in the 18–49 demographic, and a 5.9 overnight household rating. It was the most-viewed program of the night, with numbers on par with those of ''Peter Pan''. An encore presentation, which aired on December 27, was seen by 2.5 million viewers.TV News Desk
"Encore Telecast of NBC's HAIRSPRAY LIVE! Delivers 2.5 Million Viewers Overall"
Broadway World, December 27, 2016

Awards and honors

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hairspray Live 2016 television specials 2010s American television specials American dance films American live television shows American teen comedy films American teen musical films American teen romance films American English-language television shows Films about television Films based on musicals based on films Films set in 1962 Films set in Baltimore Films scored by Marc Shaiman John Waters American musical television films Musical theatre television specials NBC television specials Films directed by Kenny Leon Cross-dressing in American films Cross-dressing in television