The Tony Award-winning musical about a trailblazing chubby girl who brings racial integration to a local TV dance show in the 1960s has book by Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell and songs by Marc Shaiman (music and lyrics) and Scott Wittman (lyrics). It's inspired by the John Waters film comedy.
Performances play Nov. 21, 2011-Jan. 29, 2012, in the Signature's MAX space. Opening night is Dec. 6.
Davis makes his musical theatre stage debut as frumpy Baltimore hausfrau Edna Turnblad. The principal cast includes Carolyn Cole (as Tracy Turnblad), Nova Y. Payton (Motormouth Maybelle), Stephen Gregory Smith (Corny Collins), Lauren Williams (Penny Pingleton), Sherri L. Edelen (Velma Von Tussle), Patrick Thomas Cragin (Link Larkin), James Hayden Rodriguez (Seaweed) and Harry A. Winter (Wilbur Turnblad). The ensemble includes Jennifer Cameron, Matthew Conner, Parker Drown, Jamie Eacker, Nick Hovsepian, Brandi Knox, Sean-Maurice Lynch, Kirstin Riegler, Nickolas Vaughan, Kara-Tameika Watkins, Matthew Wojtal and Stephen Scott Wormley.
Hairspray won eight 2003 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
The creative team includes Karma Camp (choreographer), Dan Conway (set designer), Kathleen Geldard (costume designer), Colin K. Bills (lighting designer), and Matt Rowe (sound designer). Jon Kalbfleisch is the music director, with Gabriel Mangiante conducting a nine-piece orchestra.
For tickets and information, call (703) 820-9771 or visit www.signature-theatre.org.
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Signature received the 2009 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. On its intimate ARK stage at the moment is Ted Shen's chamber musical A Second Chance starring Brian Sutherland and Diane Sutherland.
