Hairspray follows Tracy Turnblad as she campaigns for racial integration on a television dance show. The musical is set in Baltimore in 1962 and centers on The Corny Collins Show, a fictional local program inspired by real teen dance shows of the era.
The stage musical is based on John Waters’s 1988 film Hairspray. Marc Shaiman wrote the music, Scott Wittman and Shaiman wrote the lyrics, and Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan wrote the book. The Broadway production opened in August 2002 at the Neil Simon Theatre.
Marissa Jaret Winokur originated the role of Tracy on Broadway, while Harvey Fierstein played Edna Turnblad. The production won eight Tony Awards in 2003, including Best Musical, Best Book, Best Original Score, and Best Actress in a Musical.
The story’s setting reflects the civil-rights tensions of early-1960s America, but its tone is energetic and comic. The musical is not a stage version of Grease: both involve teenagers and dance culture, but their characters, settings, and plots are different.