On Friday night, a group of hardy Upper School pupils braced the cold at the end of a long week, stepped into the minibus and headed back in time to Baltimore in the 1960s (via G-Live in Guildford).
In the play, dance-loving teen Tracy Turnblad auditions for a place as a dancer on “The Corny Collins Show” and wins. She becomes an overnight celebrity, a trendsetter in dance, fun and fashion. The more she reaches her dream as a dancer, the more she realises that she disagrees with how other dancers are chosen. With her new status as a teen sensation, she is able to challenge the serious issues of body image and racial segregation. She challenges everyone to recognise that “it’s changing out there! You’ll like it. People who are different, their time is coming!”
This musical delivered everything that we hoped it would: energy from the moment the curtains opened; enthusiasm from the cast and the audience; toe-tapping numbers, that we were singing along to by the end; stunning vocal arrangements by the most talented of performers, and a strong underlying message about man’s capacity for change and acceptance.
Our pupils were transfixed from the first number and were dancing in aisles by the end of the performance. It was hardly surprising that this show received a standing ovation from the pupils, who all said that they really enjoyed this terrific musical. What an uplifting way to spend a Friday night! Bravo Hairspray.
