This term's production of the musical is originally based on the 1988 John Waters film of the same name, which subsequently ran as a Tony Award-nominated Broadway production for over 2,500 shows following its 2002 opening. The 2007 film adaptation of the musical broke the record for biggest opening weekend sales for a movie musical, according to the Hopkins Center press release. In keeping with its enduring popularity, the Friday and Saturday performances of Dartmouth's "Hairspray" were completely sold out.
Dartmouth's show was directed by the award-winning Carol Dunne, who is also the producing artistic director of the New London Barn Playhouse. Dunne previously directed the musicals "Hair" and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" at Dartmouth. Keith Coughlin, the show's choreographer, and Joel Mercier, the music director, recently received awards at the New Hampshire Theatre Awards for their work with New London Barn. Mercier was also a guest pianist for the Harlequins' production of "Rent" last spring.
"Hairspray" is a show that "has an amazing heart," according to Dunne. In addition to its high-energy song and dance numbers, the play poignantly discusses acceptance and exclusion in 1960s Baltimore.
Dewey gave an incredible high-octane performance as Tracy Turnblad and remained lively and full of energy despite barely leaving the stage for the full two and a half hours. Her stamina was undoubtedly a result of her intense preparation and excitement to play the role, she said.
"I've been jogging in practice rooms to You Can't Stop the Beat,'" Dewey said. "I always practice running and singing. It's just about building endurance."
Dewey's powerful voice brought incredible liveliness to the character of Tracy. Her ability to remain upbeat and earnest on stage made her character relatable to audience members. For those who have seen the 2007 film, Dewey's performance maintained a similar level of enthusiasm and spark throughout the production. While the character of Tracy is largely one-dimensional because of the script, Dewey's infusion of humor into her performance helped her character remain believable and prevented it from falling flat.
The show was full of other talented performers, most notably Carol Brown '12 as Velma Von Tussle and Mary Tate '12 as Motormouth Maybelle. Brown's performance as Velma was perfectly diabolical and very much in keeping with her character's caustic personality, and Tate brought a particular vivaciousness to Maybelle, demonstrating her outstanding vocal range in the soulful "I Know Where I've Been."
The two actors that stole the show, however, were Talene Monahon '13 as Penny Pingleton and Xavier Curry '14 as her forbidden love Seaweed. Monahon, who was a natural acting as Tracy's awkward friend, delivered some of the best lines in the musical with a wide-eyed but slightly deranged look that left the audience in stitches every time she opened her mouth or moved her body spastically.
Another of the strongest performances in the show was unquestionably delivered by Max Samuels '15, who donned a gaudy dress to portray Tracy's mother Edna Turnblad.
"The quick [outfit] change is generally something that women have to do during shows," Samuels said. "I've got two people helping me, and like with any production, the team effort is integral."
Samuels wore copious amounts of padding on his tall, lanky figure, and he delivered his lines with terrific comedic timing that was enhanced by his booming voice. His performance garnered loud audience applause throughout the production, first in his impressive quick change during "Welcome to the '60s" and again during Edna's duet with her goofy husband Wilbur, played by Evan Ross '13, which was arguably one of the best numbers in the show.
The cast's team effort could visibly be seen on stage as performers clearly helped one another during slight difficulties, including persistent problems with the set's blinds and during Saturday's performance when one of the jail "bars" fell over unexpectedly. The musical experienced ongoing sound problems with the microphones, which they kept the audience from fully appreciating the students' vocals. This was especially apparent in the final number "You Can't Stop the Beat," as the volume of the orchestra completely overpowered the high-energy number.
The role of Corny Collins was double-cast for the production and was played by both Danny Freeman '13 and Sterling Beard '12. On Friday, Freeman brought a particular sense of showmanship, pizzazz and comical facial expressions to the role, which was not seen in Beard's more serious and straightforward characterization. Both delivered hilarious performances, and the instances in which they ignored the irritating chirps of the attention hog Amber Von Tussle, played by Katelyn Onufrey '15, always aroused audience laughter.
Felicia Wilkins '15 also brought a charming sense of determinism to her role as Little Inez. Her strong voice, however, was often lost amidst the loud music and student pit singers that accompanied the orchestra.
While the show uplifted its audience and encouraged involuntary toe-tapping with its uptempo musical numbers, Dunne said that many of the rehearsals were more heavy-handed since the early rehearsal stages were broken up into separate rehearsals that focused on the show's black characters and its white characters, as per the racially divided nature of the show.
"We found that was a pretty painful thing to go through as a company to feel real-life segregation while putting on a show," Dunne said.
Despite this uncomfortable atmosphere, however, Dunne said that when everyone was able to come together, their chemistry was perfect.
"When the scenes start coming up where Tracy sort of leads a revolution, the black and white kids come together, so it's made that journey [through segregated rehearsals] more meaningful," Dunne said.
While the show's storyline certainly features the two different groups of individuals coming together, the large cast also featured people who participate in many different campus organizations and groups, not just students directly involved with theater, according to Dunne. The inclusivity of this winter's production is a value for which theater as a whole strives, she said.
"Theater is a great welcoming art form, and for many of us who got into the theater it was because we wanted a place where [we could be] different or a little sensitive or a little dramatic a place where we could take those parts of ourselves and make something great of them," Dunne said. "Theater should and does include everyone."
The notion of inclusivity is not something the cast took lightly, as they have been working closely on several projects with the Inter-Community Council, according to Daniel Calano '15, who plays teenage heartthrob Link Larkin. Calano noted that the projects are going to be a surprise until their unveiling.
"We're trying to show that people have so much more in common between groups than we realize, and Hairspray' is all about that, just breaking down these walls," Calano said. "It's important to realize that you have a lot more in common with people outside your clique."
Additional performances of Hairspray will take place on Feb. 24, 25 and 26.