The Nicest Kids In Town have hit the Bridewell stage for Sedos’ production of Hairspray. I am a huge fan of Hairspray having seen several professional and amateur productions of it as well as having directed an amateur production of it myself. I’m always therefore keen to see Hairspray and see what a new cast and creative vision can bring to the production.

Hairspray tells of Tracy Turnblad, a girl who is larger than life in all ways, who is determined to get onto the Corny Collins show. When Tracy achieves this she soon realises that the most important thing isn’t dancing on TV but being able to dance together with her black friends such as Seaweed on TV and her fight for integration begins as she takes her best friend Penny, and her parents Edna and Wilbur along for the ride!

The first thing that struck me about Sedos’ production was how director Taylor Davidson and set designer Ella Cerys Mae had really thought outside the box with the staging. This production used 3 raised platforms for levels and these could be moved across the stage as necessary against a fun backdrop of TV sets. It kept the movement flowing in this high energy show and meant that there was no shortage of configurations for dances keeping each number feeling different to the last. The floor was also a lovely touch which really brought some additional colour to the Bridewell although there was the odd bit of set that stuck out and made the production feel cheaper such as the Hairspray can used in the finalie or the scoreboard but this is a minor niggle.

The performers were remarkably strong across the board but a special mention has to go to Lucy Dickinson who plays Tracy herself. The show falls apart if the audience doesn’t like Tracy but there was no danger of this with Dickinson in the role. She barely gets a minute to catch her breath but she consistently burst onto stage with a huge amount of infectious energy and huge vocals. I also enjoyed the Von Tussle pairing of Bex Evans as Amber and Lauren Clarke as Velma who provided solid villains throughout the show and got the comedy/evil balance spot on.

Talking of comedy Sean MacFarlane as Edna and Ross McNeil brought the house down in ‘You’re Timeless To Me,’ often in a show full of huge dance numbers or emotive moments this song can be overlooked but MacFarlane and McNeil ensured that this was not the case. MacFarlane also drew the line intelligently between man in drag and a character you care about.

It is no mean feat getting a cast of 28 drilled in a show with a huge amount of dance numbers. The enormity of the task did however show in some numbers where the choreography could have been tighter and more polished. There were also times where spacing and formations appeared to be an issue. ‘The Madison’ was a prime example of this with a large amount of the cast on stage but formations seemed confused and the stage overly crowded in some areas and yet sparse in others.

Director Taylor Davidson ensured that the emotional moments of the show hit home as they should. ‘I Know Where I’ve Been’ lead by Melissa Boateng was a moving rendition of this song and they really got across the feeling of community from those on stage throughout this number which made it even more impactful.

In terms of costumes I would have loved to have seen more variety and more of a contrast in styles and colour pallets between the council girls and Seaweed’s friends and equally a few more changes for the Council girls, especially for the Miss Hairspray segment to highlight the glitz and glamour of the competition.

It would be remiss of me to finish this review and not mention the 15 piece band under the control of George Wheatley, it was wonderful to hear Hairspray played with a full band and not cut down as is often (understandably) the case in amateur theatre and the band didn’t appear to put a note wrong. They were also well balanced with the cast and the sound made collectively by the band and the ensemble in the bigger numbers with the richer harmonies were a real highlight of the show.

Sedos’ production Hairspray gives you everything you could want in a show, bursting with heart, songs you come away singing and a cast that embody their characters brilliantly. You certainty can’t stop the beat with this show…..and why would I want to try!

Hairspray is on at The Bridewell Theatre until Saturday 17th May. You can find out more and book tickets here.

If you like this review you might also like y review of The Color Purple, Violet and You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.