Hairspray

Book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan
Music by Marc Shaiman
Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman
Based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters
Directed by Najee Brown
Apr 24-May 17, 2026 (Press opening 4/26)
Main Stage Theater 144

The 1950s are out, and change is in the air! Hairspray, winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, is a musical piled bouffant-high with laughter, romance and deliriously tuneful songs. It's 1962 in Baltimore, and Tracy Turnblad has only one desire – to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from high school outcast to sudden star. She must use her newfound power to dethrone the reigning Teen Queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a TV network... all without denting her 'do!

"Hairspray is as sweet as a show can be without promoting tooth decay. ...[It] succeeds in recreating the pleasures of the old-fashioned musical comedy without seeming old-fashioned....The score's appeal isn't nostalgic. It's music that builds its own self-contained, improbably symmetrical world...." - The New York Times