And sometimes all 58 cameras seemed to be pointing in the wrong direction. (Grande played Penny as an actor, she sure can sing.) Garrett Clayton had the right look for Link Larkin - he and Alden Ehrenreich must’ve crawled out of the same Old Hollywood time capsule - but he couldn’t quite find the character’s anxious desperation. Ephraim Sykes, late of Hamilton, brought some real energy to the production as Seaweed - but so much of Seaweed’s arc depends on sparkly chemistry with Penny. As a dancer, Ariana Grande sure can sing. There was a sense that the performers weren’t quite all on the same page. With Hairspray Live !, more was never more enough.īut the first half of Hairspray dragged a bit. Coincidentally, during one commercial break, there was a perfume ad with three Ariana Grandes. Technically, there were three Tracy Turnblads: Ricki Lake (from the original film) and Marissa Jaret Winokur (from the original Broadway show) swung by for a cameo. The cast featured Tony winners, plural, and Disney stars, plural. Several major numbers followed Maddie Baillio’s Tracy Turnblad through “Baltimore,” played by the Universal backlot and a small civilization of dancing extras. Hairspray brought the Wiz band back together - directed by Kenny Leon, adapted into teleplay from Harvey Fierstein - and it upped the ambition further. Peter Pan Live! had the garish production value. Credit them for magical thinking - and for their steady improvements. Meanwhile, Zadan and Meron have made the NBC musical an annual tradition.
Where to watch hairspray live tv#
There’s too much good TV for the average human to love - and too much real hate for the average human to watch. But it's still fantastic family fare with exceptional themes that can create powerful family discussions, not to mention one show-stopping performance after another.Three years later, I’m not quite sure people hatewatch anymore. For another, there's quite a lot of sexual implication in dialogue from teens and adults alike.
Where to watch hairspray live full#
For one, segregation is on full display in many scenes, with everything from a physical barrier to cutting stereotypes separating blacks and whites on-screen. That said, Hairspray Live! dabbles in content that's a little more mature than what families came to know in NBC's previous Broadway productions, The Sound of Music Live! and The Wiz Live!. The choreography is intricate, the sets grandiose (including challenging outdoor scenes), and the story evolving at a breakneck pace, leaving you with the desire to watch it again to make sure you don't miss anything. Those surrounding her seem to be angling to outdo one another with exceptional performances, leaving the audience hard-pressed to identify a favorite. Baillio more than holds her own among a cast of A-listers, belting out solos with confidence that belie her inexperience on a big stage. This is an impressive, jubilant production of a story that's rich in messages about diversity, inclusion, and loving yourself. Also expect some language ("damn," "ass," and "hell") and incorporated advertising for sponsors. Frequent sexual innuendo likely will go over young kids' heads, but tweens and definitely teens will pick up on allusions to concepts such as sleeping your way to success (a woman mentions screwing the judges to win a pageant, for instance), teen pregnancy, and going "all the way," as well as some physical contact among teens. Plus-size Tracy Turnblad also is the subject of quips from judgmental teens and adults, but it plays to her favor because of her ability to turn a blind eye to such unwarranted criticism and only see the best in herself and in her friends on both sides of the color divide. As such, there is a fair amount of stereotyping for most of the story and a wonderful message of inclusion by the end. The story is set in early 1960s Baltimore, with racial segregation the law of the land until a valiant group of teens stands up against the status quo. Parents need to know that Hairspray Live! is a star-studded TV production of the popular Broadway show Hairspray.