Hairspray (2002 Original Broadway Cast)
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Edition: Music CDFormat: Cast Recording
CD Release Date: 2002-08-13
Music Label: Sony
Soundtracks:
- Good Morning Baltimore
- The Nicest Kids In Town
- Mama, I'm A Big Girl Now
- I Can Hear The Bells
- (The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs
- It Takes Two
- Welcome To The 60's
- Run And Tell That!
- Big, Blonde And Beautiful
- The Big Dollhouse
- Good Morning Baltimore Reprise
- (You're) Timeless To Me
- Without Love
- I Know Where I've Been
- (It's) Hairspray
- Cooties
- You Can't Stop The Beat
Free Music Notes for Hairspray (2002 Original Broadway Cast)
Free Music Review: Absolutely Astonishing
Hit: 5 Stars
I have seen and heard dozens of Broadway shows through the years; consequently, I think that I have become fairly skilled at theater criticism. That being said, I feel it is my duty to extol the virtues of the musical incarnation of "Hairspray" and, by extension, this recording. Hairspray is far and away the best overall musical that I have ever seen in over a decade or so of theater going. So enamored am I of its cast, its authorship, and its design, that I have seen it three times in the last month. This original cast recording, boasting what is perhaps the most talented ensemble ever assembled, has helped to cement the memory of what was truly a magnificent theatrical experience.Marc Shaimans melodic evocation of the 1960s is superb; the doo-wop, R & B, and retro-pop tunes he creates are the perfect mixture of authenticity and Broadway electricity. The lyrics, by Shaiman and his collaborator Scott Wittman, are superbly suited to the situations in which they appear; most are riotously funny, although there is the occasional moment of digression into more serious territory. There are seventeen musical numbers, and almost every one of them is witty, catchy, and utterly memorable. The first number, Tracys Good Morning Baltimore, is a perfect example of this, a quirky ode to Charm City that immediately and pleasantly ensconces itself in ones head. My personal favorite (not including the finale) is Without Love, a quartet composed for the shows teenage lovers that is melodically soaring and faintly reminiscent of Jackie Wilsons Higher and Higher. The finale, You Cant Stop the Beat, is perhaps the best finale ever written for musical theater. I completely agree with a previous reviewer: it is impossible to hear this song and not dance.
The cast is exceedingly peculiar in that it has no weak link. Each and every member of the company is exceptionally talented; a triple threat to the nth degree. Broadways new It girl Marissa Jaret Winokur and the incomparable Harvey Fierstein lead the cast as mother-daughter team Tracy and Edna Turnblad, with the charming Dick Latessa rounding out the family unit as husband and father Wilbur. All three turn in star performances. Matt Morrison completely justifies Tracys obsession with him with his tremendous performance as Link, the ultimate teen idol. Laura Bell Bundy and Linda Hart turn in amusingly wicked performances as villainesses Velma and Amber Von Tussle, and Clarke Thorell is quite charismatic and sympathetic as Corny Collins, host of the afternoon dance program. Mary Bond Davis uses her powerful voice to its fullest as Motormouth Maybelle, and as Seaweed, Corey Reynolds dances and sings like a man possessed. My personal favorite, however, is Kerry Butler as Tracys spacey friend turned glamour goddess Penny. Her interpretation of the role was hilarious, and her pure and powerful singing voice is truly an aural pleasure.
As hard as it may be to believe, I do not work for Hairspray. Nor am I blind to the pieces relatively few inherent faults. For example, the dialogue given to the black characters sometimes has a tendency to sound like what it is: white writers attempts to emulate black speech patters. The score does have a couple (literally) of weak songs: (The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs and the title song, (Its) Hairspray. And the show as a whole has a bit of an identity crisis; the authors apparently could not decide between writing a completely frivolous piece or a musical dramedy. However, sitting in that theater and listening to this album, all of the aforementioned flaws become completely inconsequential in the face of the shows overall magnificence. Hairspray is doubtlessly one of the most sublime musicals ever to come to the Great White Way.
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