There is no doubt that Hairspray is entertaining, fun, and memorable but I believe that it is very relateable to any who come see the Tony Award winning hit. Tracy Turnblad is the outsider, the one that is often laughed at, and the one that many other characters in the show view as not capable (of many things). It is hard for anyone to deny that they have been in at least one if not all of the situations at some point in their lives. Being “different” is difficult because there always seems to be a struggle. A struggle with other people yes, but most of all a struggle with yourself. In Hairspray we see Tracy having all of these struggles and fighting her way through them so that by the end she learns that it is wonderful to be different, especially if being different stands for what is right. If you do not love Tracy by the end of the show, I promise you will love her at the end. Her struggle has been all of our struggles at one point or another and we can’t help but to cheer her on throughout her journey.
Audiences will also be able to take other great things from the story. The younger generation (and even some of the older) will get a realistic view on how segregation was years back and how far we have come since those days. Audiences will also be reminded that family is truly a virtue and standing by loved ones and trusting them can help you do anything that you put your mind to. But most importantly audiences will be taught to believe in themselves and to always fight for what you want, no matter how big the opposing forces may be. Water’s does a great job of giving the audiences these gifts and we are more than happy to give them out for him with each performance.
