Review: Pittsburgh’s Response to Hairspray Challenges Right Wing Attacks on Drag Artists

And yet when Edna hit the stage no one in the audience booed. People cheered and laughed. A theatre full of people in Pittsburgh in an audience that contained kids did not seem to be offended by Edna in the slightest.

When I send Laura, Sarah, and Elijah off to review the arts, I never know where they end up with the written review. Everything is fair game from the parking and seating situation to the representation of the cast to the LGBTQ politics of the show. We are not professional reviewers, but our collective points of view about the arts hopefully encourage you to get yourself to a production soon. ~ Sue

Tuesday night was my first day back at work from a much needed vacation. Sue reminded me that Hairspray, the musical, was playing Tuesday night at the Benedum. I did not want to go. I was tired and thought it would be too much. However, Sarah P, my friend and musical companion, was looking forward to it. And, because I always have a good time with Sarah, I relented. Off to the Benedum we went.

Hairspray was written by John Waters and is set in 1962 Baltimore and centers on a plus size teen, Tracy Turnblad, who tries to racially integrate a popular teen dance show helmed by Corny Collins and run by Velma Von Tussel for the benefit of her popular, thin daughter, Amber Von Tussel, who becomes Tracy’s nemesis. Along the way we’re introduced to Tracy’s mother, Edna, her father, Wilbur, best friend Penny and a…