A drag queen, a teenager in love, and a talk show host walk into a practical joke shop… This might sound like the setup for a really bad joke but this couldn’t be further from the truth.  That simple statement encompasses the essence of the hit musical Hairspray. 

Hairspray, written by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan with music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman, played at the Carlisle Theatre on Sunday to close out the Carlisle Theatre Company’s 2015 season. The cast was led by Greg Athanasatos as heartthrob Link Larkin and Aimee Beth Davis as Tracy Turnblad.

The light-hearted musical follows the ever bubbly Tracy Turnblad in her attempts to join the cast of The Corny Collins Show. Set in 1960s Baltimore Tracy has her heart set on winning over heartthrob Link Larkin and fight the segregation of 1960s media.

The cast of the Carlisle Theatre Company’s production of Hairspray was brilliant from top to bottom. Every cast member whether they were a lead or not were top notch performers. The secondary characters in the cast stole every scene, specifically the role of Mrs. Edna Turnblad, Tracy’s mom, played by Ryan Boyles. Boyles wears a wide spectrum of crazy clothing to bring the truly larger than life character of Tracy’s mom to the stage.

Gabrielle Dixon, who played Motormouth Maybelle, was absolutely magnificent in her role and performed a show-stopping number, entitled “I Know Where I’ve Been,” which led to a standing ovation in the middle of Act II. The colorful Corny Collins portrayed by Sean Deffley is a 1960s version of Ryan Seacrest who seems to control the entire show.

The cast successfully transported the audience to 1960s Baltimore and communicated the message of equality and finding the good in anyone regardless of race, flaws, or religion. The score was similar to any other musical comedy, because it left an electric energy in the air long after the show was over.

The production won’t change your life or sway your opinion on life but it is extremely entertaining. About 20 catchy numbers take both survivors of the 1960s and those born too late wish they could go back in time.   The larger than life characters brought choreography by Janel Gleeson to the stage with finesse and effort. Kudos to the set design crew for making sets that completely capture the crazy and bright colors of the world of Hairspray.

The musical is held together by an electric energy of light-hearted warmth and teenage love with a dash of Ultra Clutch Hairspray just for good measure.

Hairspray was the last production of the Carlisle Theatre Company’s 2015 season, but be sure to check them out as they present the ironically-titled play,  [Title of Show], on January 22, 23, and 24, 2016.