Review: Hairspray

WITH THE CASH REGISTER

To the sixties
so that the backcombs are shaking!

The musical Hairspray, based on John Waters’ film of the same name (1988), premiered in 2002 on Broadway and now has its European premiere at the Helsinki City Theatre on Saturday 13 August. We go into the sixties with backcombs shaking and hairspray fluffing. The feeling of a great sports festival lurks on its heels from the beginning and also before long takes over the audience completely.

After all, musicals can rarely boast of a story, and it is not possible even now, because even though you can see depth in the message, the treatment and the plot of the narrative are of a somewhat light calibre. So even a chubby girl can become a show dancer if you have enough talent and if you really try, and of course you shouldn’t agree that skin color would become more important than talent when choosing stage performers!

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The simplification is smoothed out by the fact that this is a snapshot of the sixties and American society. Television was heavily overvalued, and with it, elbow tactics and social conflicts became even more acute. Perhaps no one forbids us to remember that the world has changed since those times here in the North as well, and perhaps not all of our own attitudes tolerate the light of day.

However, the swamp of world improvement and clichés – the eyes of which were also the replications of the little girl’s shrill voice familiar from old American films – is only part of the musical’s terrain. In terms of installation, Hairspray is hefty stuff. Plays bravely, throws heels to the ceiling and conquers with its good situational comedy.

Georg Malvius ‘ direction makes the crowds glow on both sides of the ramp, Ellen Cairns ‘ visualisation is astonishing and the music execution under the direction of Lasse Hirvi is one “Saturday night high”.

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Mikko Kivinen picks a bucket full of humour berries and distributes them generously. I don’t remember ever seeing Kivinen as captivating as she is now as Edna Turnblad, the lush, very big mother of the musical’s central character Tracy. The role of Edna is quite grateful to the good comedian, which Kivinen proves to be to the last detail. Together with Pertti Koivula, they form a lovable couple; Koivula is Tracy’s father, who has a witty demeanor and a big heart.

The beautiful-voiced Katja Aakkula as Tracy is a promising newcomer to the stage, whose solos were especially memorable in Tiu ́ut helisee. And in the heroic role of Link Larkin, Mikko Leppilampi now definitely grew his fan club by showing that in addition to all the other stardom, he also dances like a boy.

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The entire group has excellent musical theatre skills, which were weighed in both captivating song and dance numbers. Jüri Nael’s airy and fast-paced choreography left no one behind, but the most sparkling package stood out as Gary Revel Jr., whose personality brought its own nuances to the amazing movement language. A charismatic stage performer is also Caron Barnes, whose incredible voice carried the music downright deliciously, for example, in the song Tietän mista tuun.

Of the delicately interpreted melodies, we should also mention e.g. Leppilampi’s Kaksistaan and Kivinen’s and Koivula’s ruggedly beautiful Sä oot iätön.