Tried and tested

Hairspray
Director: Adam Shankman
Writer: Leslie Dixon

Starring: Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, James Marsden, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah
Genres:  Comedy, Musical
Rating: PG
Running Time: 116 minutes
Seef Cineplex II  at  11am, 1.30pm, 4pm, 6.30pm, 9pm, 11.30pm

A combustible mix of sassy humour and brassy showtunes makes Hairspray one of the hottest musicals to come along in years.
Director Adam Shankman is gifted with great source material in the form of John Waters’ 1988 cult film, plus award-winning musical numbers from the Broadway production. And as chubby dance freak Tracy Turnblad, newcomer Nikki Blonsky simply bursts at the seams with charm.
Tracy is obsessed with The Corny Collins Show, a daytime dance-a-thon that has 60s Baltimore swinging.
When the host (played like a refugee from a toothpaste ad by James Marsden) announces a vacancy in the troupe, Tracy hotfoots it to the audition.
Sadly her bulbous figure is a turn-off for icy blonde station manager Velma (Michelle Pfeiffer).
Not surprisingly given Hairspray’s roots, the comedy cuts very close to the bone. But like Waters’ original, the sly innuendos are balanced by a warm portrayal of people on the fringe.
John Travolta is a scream as Tracy’s balloon-bottomed mom, but his scenes with Blonsky are very poignant too. Scenes depicting the Civil Rights movement may seem inappropriate, but the silliness only mirrors the absurdity of racism – ref. Queen Latifah’s cringing endorsement of ‘NapAway’ hair cream.
– Stella Papamichael