Had we been preparing to watch Hairspray Live! with a Hillary Clinton presidency on the horizon, it would have been natural, at least for her supporters, to view Tracy as another example of a woman effecting change.
How to watch hairspray live for free movie#
Assuming NBC stages their version of the show the way that Broadway and the 2007 movie did, there’s a strong current that courses through it about the inevitability of marginalized groups - African-Americans, women, the overweight, mothers who are actually Harvey Fierstein in drag - rising up to claim their deserved place in the spotlight. But its primary story line - about a determined outsider named Tracy Turnblad (to be played on NBC by Maddie Baillio) attempting to integrate the performers on an American Bandstand–esque dance show - taps directly into themes about racism and the need for inclusion. A lot of it is frivolous and fun, colorful and filled with bursts of bright, Baltimore booty-shaking energy. To be clear: Hairspray isn’t Greek tragedy. Now, Hairspray Live! has the opportunity to do something no recent live musical production has fully managed: Be taken seriously. The Wiz Live! turned things around with a show that was positively received,and more widely discussed on social media than others. (Note: That was mainly a thing during Peter Pan Live!) The movie musical as a contemporary live television tradition is now three years old, beginning with 2013’s The Sound of Music Live! In the past, the heavily hyped broadcasts on NBC - and, thanks to Grease Live! and the recent non-live version of Rocky Horror on Fox - have mostly provided an excuse to live-tweet snide comments about, say, dudes in unconvincing crocodile costumes. And, even beyond that, no matter how you voted, we need to find ways to unify ourselves.” “This is a part of our history that can’t be ignored and it’s relevant today in this country when race relations are the way they are. “It’s the kind of musical that our country needs right now,” director Kenny Leon said in an L.A. The people involved in bringing the show to televised life seem well aware of that fact. Instead, it could come across as of-the-moment cultural commentary. With the nation at a more blatantly turbulent moment than it’s seen since, well, possibly the 1960s, Hairspray may not play like a throwback at all. Back then, there were plenty of reasons to think that a musical about the civil-rights movement would resonate with a contemporary audience, even though it wouldn’t be broadcast until December of 2016.Įleven months later, with Hairspray Live! set to debut Wednesday night on NBC, the phenomenon that John Waters built seems like an even more astute, timely choice. That was back in January, a few weeks after NBC broadcast an energetic and successful production of The Wiz, and less than a year after Freddie Gray died in police custody in Baltimore, where Hairspray is set, sparking another wave of Black Lives Matter protests and demonstrations. When NBC first announced plans to stage a production of Hairspray as the network’s next live musical, network chief Bob Greenblatt acknowledged that the show’s focus on race and diversity played a major role in why it was selected. “It’s amazing to be able to be out here and choreograph in 360 degrees as opposed to one proscenium,” choreographer Jerry Mitchell said.L-R: Ariana Grande as Penny Pingleton, Garrett Clayton as Link Larkin, Maddie Baillio as Tracy Turnblad, Ephraim Sykes as Seaweed J. The cast will be shuttled around in golf carts and passenger vans to get to their next scenes, according to our sister site Variety. Hairspray Live! is going to be a musical production unlike anything you’ve ever seen. “We’re jumping in between interior spaces and exteriors on a scale that no other live musical has done before,” director Alex Rudzinski told our sister site Gold Derby.Īlmost half of the show will take place outside on the faux Baltimore streets. They’ll be performing the hits we know so well from the Broadway musical and 2007 movie.
How to watch hairspray live for free full#
The show is live, so to get the full impact of the musical event, you need to watch it live! Watch as Maddie Baillio, 20, Ariana Grande, 23, Jennifer Hudson, 35, Dove Cameron, 20, and more stars hit the Hairspray Live! stage to perform what they’ve been rehearsing for months. Search Hollywood Life Search Trending Navigation Trending Latest Hollywood Celebrity & Entertainment News Primary Menu Menu Close Menu