6 Reasons We Are Obsessed with Hairspray Live!

Gianluca Russo
BROADWAY LIVE
Published in
3 min readDec 13, 2016

Just like that, NBC’s highly anticipated Hairspray Live! came and went, and boy, did we love it! We’ll be honest: we knew we would love it. I mean, come on! What’s better than Hairspray’s infectious score and touching story? Sure, this production had its flaws, but it was overall a success for NBC. Here are some of our favorite moments from Wednesday’s live broadcast (emphasis on “some,” because listing all of them would be near impossible)!

1. That Original Broadway Cast Throwback

As expected, Harvey Fierstein stole the show as Edna Turnblad, the role he created on Broadway back in 2002. And for some more nostalgia, we loved seeing the original Dynamites and original Tracy, Marissa Jaret Winokur!

2. Garrett Clayton’s Perfection

We are fully convinced that Garrett Clayton is a Ken doll brought to life. Especially during his #MannequinChallenge in “I Can Hear The Bells,” Clayton looked absolutely flawless and completely won us over with his portrayal of Link. Those dance moves, that charm and his great voice prove that Clayton is much more than a pretty face.

3. Dove Cameron’s Snarky Excellence

To be honest, we were worried about Dove Cameron as the snotty Amber Von Tussle. We didn’t know much about her and truly didn’t know what to expect. Wow, were we wrong! Cameron shined in the role, commanding attention during “Cooties” as well as many other numbers. We wouldn’t be surprised if we started seeing her name even more now. Perhaps as Regina George in the Mean Girls musical?!

4. Kristin Chenoweth’s Constant Option-Ups

There’s nothing we love more than some fantastic high notes and Chenoweth certainly delivered! Her portrayal of Velma Von Tussle was spot-on and we are #obsessed with her high notes at the end of “Miss Baltimore Crabs.”

5. That Fabulous Choreography

Jerry Mitchell’s choreography never disappoints us, and this was certainly no exception. With both moves from the original Broadway production and new dance sequences blended together, the large group numbers such as “Good Morning Baltimore,” “Welcome to the 60’s” and “You Can’t Stop The Beat” had us ponying around our living rooms all night long!

6. JHud’s “I Know Where I’ve Been”

We are still speechless. C’mon Hudson, we were not prepared for this! Hudson’s rendition of the soul wrenching power ballad was arguably the highlight of the evening: it left tears in our eyes with our hearts exposed for all to see.

With all the negativity we’ve seen in the news and around the country lately, Hairspray was the perfect reminder that being different is okay! No matter our size or race, the things that make us different are the things that make us unique, special, and human. We must continue to embrace our quirks and crazy personalities, and we can NEVER let anyone stop our beat.

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Gianluca Russo
BROADWAY LIVE

Writer/Editor/Social Media Manager. Words in BUST Magazine, Brit+Co, Paste Magazine, Playbill and more.