Hairspray: The Roots

by Mark O'Donnell, Thomas Meehan, Marc Shaiman

In Hairspray , it's 1962--the fifties are out and change is in the air. Baltimore's Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, has only one to dance. She wins a spot on the local TV dance program, The Corny Collins Show , and overnight is transformed from an awkward overweight outsider into an irrespressible teen celebrity. But can a trendsetter in dance and fashion vanquish the program's reigning blond princess, win the heart of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a television show without denting her 'do? Only in Hairspray!

Based on John Waters's 1988 film, the musical comedy Hairspray opened on Broadway in August 2002 to rave reviews. The Roots includes the libretto of the show--along with hilarious anecdotes from the authors, to say nothing of dance step diagrams and full-color bouffant wigs to copy and cut out--along with all the creative energy, brilliant color, and full-out emotion that have made the musical "a great big, gorgeous hit . . . [that] is a triumph on all levels" (Clive Barnes, The New York Post).

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction, Plays, Reference

168 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 2003

Reviews

[Dominic Grijalva · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like the show, you will love this book. It explains lot of the behind the scenes magic that went in the making of this brilliantly produced musical. With tons of pictures, 'letters to home' and diary entries by a few cast members, lots of inresteting tid-bits of fun trivia and more (not to mention the full libretto and lyrics to the show) it is the perfect companion to any Hairspray fan. It is out of print so if you happen to see this in a bookstore or online, buy it! It's worth the money.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 4 out of 5]

There aren't a lot of musicals one can comfortably call modern classics, but "Hairspray" makes the list. With a wildly popular stage version, an almost as popular movie, and an upcoming NBC Live production, the clever book, music and lyrics have cemented themselves in musical culture. This "show bible" does slightly more than just give the libretto- it's got a decent selection of behind the scenes info, photos and a look at the show's development.

[HeY iT's LuCy · Rating 5 out of 5]

saw movie AWESOME

[Aimee Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the book, love the movie, loved the show!

[Kailyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

It wasn't as entertaining as I thought it was going to be. But still a cool & funny book nonetheless. Made me want to see the musical again 💖

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Hairspray. It's one of the first musicals I became truly obsessed with. I think I watched it every day for around a month when the DVD came out. I wanted to love this book like that, and I liked it, but it fell a little short of my hopes.

It's a fun book. It's got an interactive element with quizzes and activities on a few pages. The conversation at the beginning with John Waters and the producer of the musical is interesting. There are emails from Harvey Fierstein to his friends and family while they played Seattle and diary entries from Marissa Winokur that are really nice. It's also cool to read cut songs and pieces of dialogue that were changed throughout the process.

What I wish there were more of is a focus on the cast. Harvey is mentioned frequently, and Marissa is mentioned some. Jackie Hoffman gets credit for a few lines. Almost no one else comes to mind as being recognized. It would have been nice to have read more about how the original cast developed their characters. It also would have been nice to give more recognition to the creative team, particularly the choreographer.

It's a nice causal book about the history of the show, but it's not as detailed as a fan might desire.

[cass]

it was good