Come meet “the nicest kids in town”. Photo: Paula Jacobsen.
Te Awamutu College students are bringing the story of racial integration in 1960’s America to the stage.
Hairspray follows the aspirations of teenager Tracy Turnblad in Baltimore in 1962. She longs to perform on the sock-hop-type television show “The Corney Collins Show”, despite not being a conventional choice and sets enabling her and friends to “dance together on TV”.
Tracy Turnblad s played by Zoey Blake. Photo: Paula Jacobsen.
The curtain goes up on the show at the Te Awamutu College hall for a four-day season starting on Wednesday (June 17).
Hairspray came to Broadway in 2002, and collected eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The 2007 film version starred John Travolta, Zac Efron and Queen Latifa.
Stella Wills as Motormouth Maybelle. Photo: Paula Jacobsen.
“One of the most important things for me in this production was to honour the stories of the people who lived through the integration period in America through the 50s and 60s,” drama teacher turned director Morag Carter said. “Hairspray is such an important musical as it gives students the opportunity to explore history in a creative way.”
Tracy is played by Year 9 student Zoey Blake and Stella Wills (Year 12) has the roll of ‘Negro day’ DJ, Motormouth Maybelle.
Come meet “the nicest kids in town”. Photo: Paula Jacobsen.
