Hairspray to Welcome Marissa Perry as New Tracy April 15

By Kenneth Jones
11 Apr 2008

Marissa Perry
Marissa Perry

Marissa Perry, the young actress who played Tracy Turnblad in one of the first regional theatre productions of Hairspray at the Weston Playhouse in Vermont, will take over the role in the Broadway production April 15, the producers announced.

Shannon Durig plays Tracy through April 13 at the Neil Simon Theatre.

The Tony Award-winning musical's songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman saw her performance at the playhouse and encouraged her to audition for the Broadway production where she was immediately offered the understudy role of Tracy. With a few performances under her belt, "and after waiting in the wings for her turn to shine," according producers, she will officially take over the starring role.

Perry follows four previous Tracys: Tony Award winner Marissa Jaret Winokur, soap opera star and Daytime Emmy Award nominee Kathy Brier, Carly Jibson (who is back on Broadway in John Waters' latest musical, Cry-Baby) and Shannon Durig, who recently played over 1,000 performances.

The cast includes George Wendt, Aaron Tveit, Tevin Campbell, Darlene Love and more.

Hairspray, which celebrated its fifth anniversary on Broadway in August 2007, is the winner of eight 2003 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Actor (Harvey Fierstein), Best Actress (Marissa Jaret Winokur), Best Featured Actor (Dick Latessa), Best Score (Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman), Best Book (Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan), Best Director (Jack O'Brien), and Best Costume Design (William Ivey Long).

For more information visit www.hairsprayonbroadway.com.