subject: Hairspray Tickets - Commercial Success Keeps Coming [print this page] The musical sensation that inspired two films is getting into the digital age, as Hairspray's London production has just announced plans to offer handheld wireless devices for patrons who don't speak English or who may be hard of hearing for their shows on the West End. The battery-powered handset called AirScript is just another way this six-year-old musical will continue to astound audiences into the next decade, as translations will feature languages like French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Chinese.
The set, according to Cambridge Consultants (the company who developed the new feature), is even expected to raise revenue for international theaters as more international Hairspray shows travel the world. Are you ready to listen to the tune in another language, or know someone who might benefit from this new device? If so, check out the calendar online for more Hairspray tickets today.
In terms of commercial exposure, the musical Hairspray has done extremely well. Besides being one of the top grossing movie musicals of all time as a film that starred Zac Efron and Brittany Snow, the attention has returned to the Hollywood blockbuster as the film's director, Adam Shankman, becomes Fox's So You Think You Can Dance's new, full-time judge. A guest judge during several rounds of the audition series, the director was chosen by producer and fellow judge Nigel Lythgoe.
"I am extremely happy that Adam has agreed to be a resident judge. We love bantering and bickering, and yet he still finds a way of capturing the sensitivity of every story told on stage," Lythgoe said in a statement. "'So You Think You Can Dance' is one of the most important things to happen in the last decade for the art form," Shankman added. "Choreography is how I found my way into this business, and I'm proud to be a part of the show. As a filmmaker, it's an honor to be able to recognize choreographers and dancers, and to be able to bring all of this amazing work into America's homes."
Hairspray follows Baltimore's Tracy Turnblad, a young teen with a larger-than-life personality and appetite that is ready for a change. Sick and tired of the stereotypes that go into her favorite television show The Corny Collins Show, Tracy is determined to show that big girls can dance just as well as the show's stars, like the blonde bombshell Amber Von Tussle. Set in 1962, big hair and even bigger moves turn Tracy into a star, but she must fight to remain a top dancer.
Based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters from 1988, the musical first debuted on the Neil Simon Stage in 2002 with actor Harvey Fierstein as Tracy's mother Edna, Marissa Jaret Winokur as the star herself, Laura Bell Bundy as Amber Von Tussle and Matthew Morrison as the heartthrob Link Larkin. The show has a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan with an original score by Academy Award nominated Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
