I love that Corny was supportive of integration from the very beginning even before Tracy was a part of the show, and how clear it was that he couldn’t stand Velma or Amber and how much he supported Maybelle.
@@katpiercemusic I mean tbh I always got the impression - which may just be a me thing - that he was the only reson there was a Negro Day on the show in the first place.
@@Lina_unchainedhero is a bit much lol but I'm glad he noticed his moments to advocate and took them. I have a feeling "Negro Day" only existed because Corny wanted to listen to decent music and he realized black people MAKE culture.
The part of Edna has always traditionally been played by Drag Queens, beginning with DIVINE in the original movie, even when it went to Broadway as a musical!
Correction: Edna is always played in drag by men. Not all the men playing Edna are drag queens. Michael McKean and John Pinette, among others, are definitely NOT drag queens. And in spite of internet rumors, John Travolta is straight; but even if he was, he has only done drag as Edna, as part of his job as an actor.
Believe me, I did not forget Harvey Fierstein. I was rebutting the contention that only drag queens are cast as Edna, so I listed people who were not only NOT drag queens, but also were totally straight. I love and respect Mr Fierstein, who is not only a great actor but also a fierce activist for gay rights. It's just that he's a figure who does not prove my point that the role of Edna Turnblad does not require the actor to be in any way a drag queen or even gay. There is something almost subversive about casting a male as a female character, at least in a cultural sense. It makes clear that humanity runs deeper than gender. For so many they see gender (and for that matter race) in such rigid binary terms. "Hairspray", whether as the original version or the musical one, always targeted the division that refuses the existence of spectrum, of there being naturally in nature a range in any category the mind of humankind creates. So I use the term 'subversive' in a very intentional sense; Edna's humanity transcends gender, and that point is hidden but felt. If an audience can believe Edna is a woman and not a man in a dress, that is both subversive and educational. Even more so the further the actor portraying her is from finding the feminine within on the regular. I recall reading Travolta being surprised how easily Edna's femininity came to him, how natural it felt, when he first suited up to play her. Putting on the costume and makeup put him in touch with her womanliness and humanity and he immediately understood her. We humans create categories so we can understand the world better, but in the process we create more ignorance where none is merited. Categories make us forget how we are more alike than unalike. Rigid qualifications cause injustice. It's subtle, but it too often runs deep. Prejudice happens that way. "Hairspray" is a fun little film that combats majorities 'othering' people, and it has a sweet little convention that honors Glen Milstead, Divine. But even that sweet little convention subverts the contention that genders are an absolute binary, when people are far more complicated than that. Recognizing that spectrum allows for individualism; it allows people to be their authentic selves and respected for that. (apologies for the sermon) @@Rainbow.Pegacorn.Cosplay
I love this musical so much. John Travolta is perfect as Tracy's mom. Also, I love the 60's setting, it's message of equality, and "You Can't Stop The Beat" is still one of the best musical numbers of all time.
1st. The flasher was John Waters the original writer and director of the original movie. I started as a fan of John Waters films. The original Hairspray was not a musical. It starred Ricki Lake. Then years, and years later it went to Broadway as a musical. Saw that with the original cast. Then the Movie Musical, then the Hairspray Live. It's so much fun but the deeper meaning in all iterations is racism. And we're still talking about the same shit 40 yrs later. The original Mrs Turnblad was played by Divine. A famous drag queen in the early 60's through his passing in 1988. Death: 1988 Shortly before midnight, he died in his sleep, at age 42, of heart failure. His body was discovered by Bernard Jay the following morning, who then sat with the body for the next six hours, alongside three of Divine's other friends.
Divine was just starting to break away from being John Waters's muse and into a separate entertainment career. He was starting to appear in national roles. I recall seeing him, out of drag, in a featured part on "Married with Children", a successful TV sitcom. I'm from Baltimore, and had run into him several times. The last time I visited Baltimore I took time to visit his modest grave in Towson, overlooking the massive shopping mall nearby. It's a weird placement for a small cemetery, but Towson encroached upon it over the centuries.
@@chris...9497 OK, I lived in Baltimore for 20 yrs, in Federal Hill. Even dough it aint's mah hewm town I still like to go to the Seben Eleben to get a pack of Mawboro Reds and some Natty Boh. (I won the Bawlmer speaking contest at Hon Fest one year.) Yes I saw Divine many times in street drag and I used to see John Waters at the Club Charles. I miss it there. I had a blast living there. We probably lived the at different times. I was there from 93 to 2013.
My stepfather grew up on Locust Point, near Fort McHenry. I lived in Baltimore (except for a single year) from 1970 to 2007, moving there from Glen Burnie. My stepdad's TV Sales and Service shop was at the corner of Fort & Light, so not far from you. I watched the city burn from atop Federal Hill Park when the riots broke out after MLK Jr's assassination. @@Markyajv
The actor who played the Flasher in the intro was John Waters, the screenwriter and filmmaker who created the original Hairspray. He's a queer activist, and noteworthy for his independent films of the 60s and 70s, working closely with the drag legend Miss Divine. He's himself from Baltimore, and he regularly features Baltimore culture and settings in his films. Indy filmmaker, great man, tremendous achievements in film and queer rights activism.
I’ve been so excited for this one!! Hairspray has to be one of the best movie musical adaptations ever (it’s based on a musical based on a regular movie from the 80s). Such a feel good movie. All the actors are fantastic but John Travolta truly put his heart and soul into it hahahaha
my favorite part of hairspray is edna’s role in any of the renditions, no matter what they always cast a man to dress up in drag and play as edna and when i watched this movie i was sooo happy they kept that tradition up instead of ignoring it. has to be one of my fave movie rendition of a broadway musical!!
For the Broadway musical and this movie, they used diffusion spray ( POOF Smoke) so it would not have the side-effects of choking actors or leaving a sticky film on the floor. It's made of ingredients like mineral oil and so on. It looks really good on camera coming out of the can. The musical also casts a drag queen as the mother, that's why it's John Travolta. This is one of the best musicals for catchy songs and subject matter. It's just a fun journey. Have you ever seen the movie Big Fish A musical on Broadway at one point (Tim Burton movie) I don't think the movie is much of a musical though, The Way, Way Back (coming of age story) and for another musical, you have to watch Sweeney Todd (Tim Burton) as well.
The original movie is from the 80's and was not a musical. The flasher is John Waters, the original creator. Ricki Lake played Tracy originally, she is one of the talent scouts. Jerry Stiller played Mr. Pinky and in the original he was Tracy's Dad. If you want another fun John Waters movies that stars a young Johnny Depp and also Ricki Lake, check out "Cry-Baby".
@amillan2004 as much as I enjoy some of John Waters' and Divine's stuff. Most of it's way too hard core for me. So I've stayed away from Pink Flamingos.
Speaking of which, if y'all DO wanna see a John Waters movie ABOUT working in a hair salon, may I recommend Female Trouble? NOT for the faint of heart. Starring Divine, who played the original Edna Turnblad.
Johnathan Larson was ahead of his time as far as musicals with depth. You really need to watch them both first all the way through, then share it with us. And have a box or two of tissues handy!
0:23 - Brief history. Hairspray has a similar backstory to Little Shop of Horrors. It started as a moderately successful movie in '88, was turned into a hit Broadway musical in '02, which was then translated into a successful Hollywood movie in '07. 3:07 - Yes, that's Christo... 3:18 - That's James Marsden. Cyclops in the X-men movies, 'Donut Lord' from Sonic the Hedgehog, a bunch of other roles. 3:36 - There's a reason for that... 4:50 - 'Almost...' And he still hasn't commented on Edna Turnblad. 11:03 - He's Jerry Stiller. Probably most famous for playing George's dad on Seinfeld (inventor of Festivus). 11:31 - Half way through the movie and he still hasn't asked about Edna. 13:35 - They're not sneaking out. School is over. 23:25 - Best line in the movie (with the best come-back EVER). 25:51 - The female talent scout is played by famous talk show host Rikki Lake. She played Tracey in the original movie. 26:36 - The stage musical has the classic fairytale ending with Tracey winning the dance-off, but I much prefer this ending, both thematically and structurally. 28:10 - Yeah, that was pretty unbelievable... The background is that in the original movie, Tracey's mother was played by the legendary drag queen Devine, who died shortly after the movie came out. Since then it's been a tradition that the role of Edna Turnblad be played by a man in drag. They say that when the producers of this movie were asked who they wanted to play Edna, they didn't even let the question finish before they said "John Travolta." Apparently he was almost as excited to accept the role. 30:30 - Yeah, you're wrong. Remember, he was fighting for integration of the show from almost his first scene. If you're going to be continuing this musical kick, you MUST watch Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserable (the latter is a second chance to see Hugh Jackman sing).
It's interesting how literal people are when they first start watching musicals. The crazy actions/dancing do not _really_ happen, leaving detention to dance and sing, it is a storytelling method. Or, life IS the story and _everyone_ dances as they talk to others. Musicals tend to be exaggerated, amplified, quite over-the-top. They are a genre, not a song movie. It's fun, Nick, watching you catch on to the story and plot devices. Mostly with musicals, have fun and "see" a world where everything is gloriously colorful and wild... and tends to not make logical sense. Thanks for doing _Hairspray_ - love it!
Hairspray was originally a non-musical movie that came out in 1988, written and directed byJohn Waters (totally worth a reaction). In 2002, a musical version of Hairspray opened on Broadway and swept the Tony Awards. This movie is based on the Broadway musical.
I actually prefer Nikki Blonsky to Broadway's original Tracy. Marissa Jaret Winokur was good, but I like Blonsky's vocals better. I was pleasantly surprised when I listened to the soundtrack that I knew the actresses playing Penny and Amber in later musicals (Beetlejuice and Legally Blonde respectively).
this was my fav movie when i was 10. the overall message and the song lyrics helped teach me about history and continued issues that have remained. and the songs are great!!
You musssst watch The Producers (2003 I think) It’s Mel brooks again, he did the original in the sixties too, but the remake has Nathan lane, Matthew Broderick, uma thermal, will Farrell all in the main cast, it’s brilliant and hilarious and you’ll flippin love it. I saw it when I was 10 with my mum in the cinema and we were in tears and cramps of laughter and I didn’t even appreciate all the dialogue until I was much older but it always remained a fave of mine! ❤😂
I've never seen this one, but I Adore the original from John Waters. Waters makes very outsider films, and I highly recommend both his "Hairspray" and "Cry Baby" with a young, Johnny Depp. Fantastic musicals.
I watched this version when it came out fully expecting to hate it because I loved the original so much, but both are wonderful in their own ways! I don’t think this is the version for people who don’t like musicals but it’s surprisingly excellent and funny if you do
one musical i would love see react to is "the phantom of the opera(2004)" it is my favourite musical ever. it is not as cheerfull as usual musicals but still great!
Christopher Walken started his career as a chorus boy on Broadway. He was a dancer before he was an actor. There are a lot of videos on RU-vid featuring his dancing. Fat Boy Slim’s Weapon of Choice is a good one, and when he was much younger, the saloon scene in Pennies From Heaven is great.
Lmfao. The actor who plays the "flasher who lives next door" is John Waters. This movie is based off a stage musical that was based on the non-musical Hairspray movie. That original movie was directed by John Waters. So it was a Cameo. He's also in The Seed of Chucky.
Originally, the film by John Waters (who was the Flasher in "Good Morning, Baltimore") had Divine as Edna. Divine was a drag queen who was a frequent performer in Waters's films. When the film was adapted for the musical stage, Edna was played by Harvey Fierstein. Fierstein, who is a writer and actor as well as a gay icon, won the Tony Award for Best Actor in the original Broadway production (it also won Best Actress (Marissa Jarrett Winokur as Tracy), Best Supporting Actor (Dick Latessa as Wilbur), Best Score, and Best Musical). The musical was also adapted for a live television production in 2016 that starred Fierstein as Edna, Kristen Chenoweth as Velma, Ariana Grande as Penny, Jennifer Hudson as Motormouth Maybelle, Martin Short as Wilbur, and Dove Cameron as Amber. The movie strays a bit from the stage version, and some of that was placed back for the TV version. Traditionally, all productions have a man as Edna...some famous Ednas have been Michael Ball (a famous British theater heartthrob who originated Marius in London's Les Miserables back in the 80s as well as other roles), Michael McKean (David St Hubbins in This Is Spinal Tap), Bruce Villanch, and George Wendt (Norm from Cheers). The original Tracy Turnblad was the woman who sat in the audience and was one of the agents to see Link, Rikki Lake. The other agents with her are Marc Shaiman (composer of the score and co-lyricist), Adam Shenkman (director & choreographer of the film), and Scott Wittman (co-lyricist). On the soundtrack album, Rikki, Marissa Jarrett Winokur, and Nikki Blonsky recorded a track that plays over the end credits "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" that is in the show, but not otherwise in the movie. Also featured in the track was Harvey Fierstein. Another role played by a cast member of the original film was Jerry Stiller (Ben Stiller's father) as Mr. Pinky. In the original film, Stiller was Wilbur.
This movie is based on the 2002 Broadway musical which was based on the original movie from 1988. The musical is very popular but as for the movies, in this case the remake is generally considered better. Although the 1988 movie had a great cast like Ricki Lake, Divine, Debbie Harry (of Blondie), Sonny Bono (as in Sonny & Cher) and Jerry Stiller. John Travolta's casting as Edna continued the tradition of having a man in drag portray the character, since the 1988 film featured drag queen Divine as Edna and the Broadway version featured Harvey Fierstein as Edna. Steve Martin, Robin Williams and Tom Hanks were considered for the role of Edna. Travolta spoke with an exaggerated Baltimore accent. Also fun fact: Divine was the inspiration for Ursula from The Little Mermaid (I highly recommend the new live action movie). Another fun fact: One day between takes John Travolta began singing Summer Nights from Grease to the cast. Nikki Blonsky was completely unknown and working in an ice cream shop when she auditioned for the role at 18. Aside from being in a few high school productions, she had no professional acting or singing background at the time, and beat out 1.100 candidates. Here is footage of her reaction to getting the part: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZcgNDozn9-I.html She's been in a few movies and TV shows since then but nothing big, which is a shame. She was always typecasted as the 'fat girl' and Hollywood apparently didn't have any decent roles for her. Unfortunately, less than a year after the release of this movie, Blonsky and her parents were arrested for racial assault after being involved in a brawl at a Caribbean airport. The charges were dropped 5 months later. Link's look is based on Elvis Presley. Zac Efron's big break was of course High School Musical (which I recommend). However, he did not sing (barely) in the first one but he did sing in 2 and 3. Hairspray was released a month before HSM 2 so this was the first time we really heard him sing. Zac's voice has evolved so much and he's honestly a very underrated singer AND actor. Some of the movies he's in are too ridiculous for me but I love how he does both comedy and drama so well. His versatility is amazing. I recommend 17 Again (where he plays a younger version of Matthew Perry's character), Charlie St.Cloud and The Lucky One. He and Michelle Pfeiffer also worked together again on New Year's Eve, which has a star studded cast. An extremely underrated role of his is Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. The movie was controversial because some people thought it glorified serial killers, especially by casting someone like Zac. But Bundy being "good looking", charming and well respected in the community was how he lured his victims and how he got away with it for so long. People also did not take into consideration that the movie is from his girlfriend's perspective. I personally thought it was really good and Zac did an amazing job. He was so creepy and looked so much like him. Michelle Pfeiffer has been in some great movies and is very versatile too. For thriller/horror I suggest What Lies Beneath, for drama I suggest The Deep End of the Ocean and for fantasy I suggest Stardust. She was also in Grease 2, which is not considered good though, but her and John Travolta in a movie together is wild. Meryl Streep and Madonna were considered for the role. James Marsden who plays Corny Collins is in Enchanted and Disenchanted (which I recommend). Other than these movies he hasn't done that much singing professionally (which is shocking considering how good he is). He's been in several rom coms like The Notebook, 27 Dresses and The Best of Me. Coincidentally, The Notebook and The Best of Me are both based on Nicholas Sparks novels. In the latter he replaced Paul Walker as the lead after his death. James Marsden beat out both Joey McIntyre and Hugh Jackman for the part. Queen Latifah, who plays Motormouth Maybelle, is a rapper and singer as well as being an actress. She was also in the musicals Chicago and Joyful Noise. Aretha Franklin auditioned for the role but lost out to Latifah. Amanda Bynes who plays Penny was a child actress on Nickelodeon. She was also in several popular movies in early-mid 2000s, like She's The Man and What a Girl Wants. She has struggled with mental health and substance abuse, and was in a conservatorship from 2013-2022. Like Britney, she's been through a lot and Hollywood kinda turned its back on her. Don't know if you recognised her but Brittany Snow who plays Amber was Chloe in Pitch Perfect (the one who got nodes and sang in the shower with Anna Kendrick. She started on the soap opera Guiding Light and has been in movies such as John Tucker Must Die and Prom Night (very different but I recommend both). Elijah Kelley who plays Seaweed was in The Wiz Live with Queen Latifah. He was also in a few episodes of the musical TV show Star which Queen Latifah starred in as well. Inez is based in part upon Ruby Bridges, the first black child to attend a formerly all-white school in the state of Louisiana. Tayla Parx, the actress who portrays her, is a singer/songwriter. She has written and co-written songs for Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Demi Lovato and Justin Bieber, along with several songs with her friend Ariana Grande (including Thank You, Next). Last year, she starred as Donna Summer in Spinning Gold, a biographical drama based on the life of Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart. There were a few minor roles/cameos: Jerry Stiller (Wilbur in the 1988 movie) played Mr. Pinky in this one. Ricki Lake (Tracy in 1988 movie) and Adam Shankman (choreographer/director of this movie) both appear as talent agents. John Waters (writer/director of 1988 movie) appears as the flasher who lives next door. Ricki Lake also sang Mama I'm A Big Girl Now with Nikki Blonsky and Marissa Jaret Winokur (Broadway's Tracy) for the film's end credits. Harvey Fierstein (Broadway's Edna) had a brief singing cameo in the end credits for that too. Stephen "tWitch" Boss appears as a background dancer. There is a closeup of him in the final song after Inez wins and the show is officially integrated, with Amber watching. He was a DJ/guest host/producer on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. He was also in So You Think You Can Dance and some of the Step Up movies. He tragically died by suicide on December 13th 2022 at the age of 40. Because of the fast paced lyrics of the songs, most of the cast jokingly called the last song You Can't Stop the Beat "You can't stop to breathe". Queen Latifah said she had no trouble with it because of her background as a rapper. Cool little thing not many people notice, and I don't know if it was done on purpose, but during Seaweed's song Run and Tell That - Tracy, Penny and Link (the white people) are at the back of the bus while Seaweed, Inez and the dancers are at the front (the poc). Penny's dress in the final song was made from the curtains in her room (an homage to The Sound of Music). Also, Amanda Bynes' father, who is a dentist, became very worried for her dental health, as it was estimated she ate about 40 lollipops a day. She told him that she wasn't really eating all of them, when in reality she ate them all. She is literally Willy Wonka. It took John Travolta four hours to put on the 30-pound fat suit and 5 gel-filled silicone face prosthetics to become Edna Turnblad, while Amanda Bynes's pigtails alone took two hours of preparation every morning. According to the DVD commentary, director Adam Shankman made Zac Efron make out with the picture frame for "hour after hour after hour". Lastly, there is a deleted song/scene called "I Can Wait", sung by Tracy. It's actually a shame because it shows a different side to her voice, more soft and gentle: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8MNxrzvG96I.html There is also another song sung by Link called "It Takes Two". He only sings the ending when they're announcing the auditions (and it's on the soundtrack): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8BJ8sAV5Aj49.html8 So for musicals I recommend High School Musical 1-3, Enchanted and its sequel, The Little Mermaid live action, Les Miserables, Elvis and Selena (although the last two are more biographical dramas than musicals). Kudos to you if you read all that!
Next musical recommendation: Moulin Rouge, the best jukebox musical ever! (A jukebox musical is one made up of already well known pop songs instead of original songs, weaved into the story) starring Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman (yes, they can SING!)
Yes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken and Zac Efron actually are in this movie. Corny Collins is played by James Marsden. Mr. Pinky is played by Jerry Stiller (Ben Stiller's father), whom you might have seen starring as Arthur Spooner in "King of Queens". Penny's mother is played by Allison Janney, aka C.J. from "The West Wing".
This is a new version of the John Waters original (1988) starring Divine (as Edna Turnblad), Debbie Harry, Sonny Bono, Jerry Stiller, and Ricki Lake as Tracy Turnblad set in 1962 Baltimore. It was also a Broadway show. The film covers many topics such as the civil rights movement and how it influenced teen dance shows of the 1960's when the live broadcasts were not integrated until public outcry. The most popular dance show was "American Bandstand" hosted by Dick Clark (the same New Year's Rocking Eve Dick Clark). American Bandstand gave many singers and musicians their big global exposure: Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon, Frankie Valle & the Four Seasons, The Byrds, The Temptations, Chuck Berry, Dion, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Beach Boys, and others). The show was broadcast live from WFIL TV (ABC affiliate in Philadelphia). As the dance shows grew in popularity, the competition took Dick Clark and the show to Los Angeles with live outdoor performances by the Beach Boys, The Monkees, Lovin' Spoonful, the Turtles, and other performers. You can view vintage clips of the show on RU-vid.
You should do the 1988 version next. John Waters, who played the flasher at the beginning of the film, directed it. In fact, this was the movie that started it all with 18 year old Rikki Lake as Tracey in her very first film role and Divine as her mother Edna in his final film role (he died two weeks after the film came out). Jerry Stiller who played Mr. Pinky in this film played Edna's husband Wilbur in the 1988 film. The filmn was a hit and was the first John Waters movie to be PG, much to his dismay because he didn't think anyone would go see it with that rating (Boy was he wrong). It was the only film Divine brought his mother to see because it was a role he was most proud of. The film is not a musical, but it did have a lot of dance numbers, many of them on the Corney Collins Show. It didn't become a musical until 2002 when it opened on broadway with Marissa Jarret Winokur as Tracey and Harvey Firestein as Edna. Waters didn't want to agree to give up his rights at first because he didn't like musicals anymore (He liked thr older musicals than the recent ones be ause there were too many big ballads for him😂), but he changed his mind because he was curious to see how it would work on Broadway (which the 2007 film is based on). Although the 1988 film is not as good as the musical, it's still worth the watch, especially if you want to see the film that started it all. Zac Efron did High School Musical 2 immediately after this film, which is why his hair was constantly changing color in it, LOL!
I just simply adore this movie and musical ❤️❤️❤️ perfect casting, great songs and overall a powerful movie with a great message behind it. I love all the characters especially John Travolta as Edna and James Marsden as Corny and Zac Efron as Link 😁 I’m glad you enjoyed the movie Nick and can’t wait to see what you react to next 😊😄😉👍
I LOVE Queen Latifah. She has such amazing heartfelt soul in her voice. Whether it's "Big, Blonde And Beautiful", "I Know Where I've Been" or her solo in "You Can't Stop The Beat". Her voice? 👌😘
I have videos of 6 year old me with my 8 year old brother watching this film for the thousandth time. Im 21 now and i still listen to the soundtrack - conclusive proof that this film is utterly timeless
Such a great movie! The inspo for Corny Collins show was the Baltimore-based Buddy Deane show where they would have real teens come on stage and dance to music - my dad was on the show at least once. For another musical please check out Jesus Christ Superstar Live Arena Tour from 2012 they cast incredibly varied performers (including an unknown at the time for Jesus & a Spice Girl, Mel C, for Mary Magdalene) and it works so well; and I think you'd really love Quest For Camelot from 1998, a cartoon/family film. Utterly fantastic and a stacked cast for the voices. Loved your reaction, I was waiting for the moment you realized it was John Travolta. + that moment we all realize this is a Batman Returns reunion between Max Shrek and Selina Kyle....
Fun fact: Dawn French was gonna be Edna Turnblad, but Adam Shankman wanted to keep the idea of a man to be Edna Turnblad so lucky John Travolta Movie request: Big Momma's house Monsters vs Aliens White Chicks Little man Shark Tale Barbershop Cheaper by the dozen Charlie’s angels Step up
Now I would love to see you react to Starkid! Specifically, their original musicals: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals, Black Friday, and Nerdy Prudes Must Die! These three musicals all have a kind of horror comedy aspect to them with a lot of emphasis on the comedy. I think you would really like it! But they also have parody musicals based off of Harry Potter, DC superheroes, Starwars, and the computer game The Trail to Oregon! Those are also good!
So glad you had such a good time with this one, it's one of my favorites! I'd like to recommend: Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Dreamgirls (2006), Chicago, Rent, & Legally Blonde The Musical (that last one is in stage form on youtube by MTV)
Christopher Guest movies are a fun and funny trip. And one is basically a musical parody of the folk music scene in the 60s. You would love them. Best In Show is the best of them.
I agree! Tracy is such a great and enjoyable protagonist! I remembered that you already reacted to Mamma Mia and Moulin Rouge, so my recommendations are Repo! the genetic opera (has a great eclectic cast, and literally no one has reacted to it), Evita, Rocky Horror and Rent
A lot of people don't put the pieces together that you have the leader of the t-birds from grease 1 and the leader of the pink ladies from grease 2 in the same movie. That's what i loved the most!
You might check out a younger Michelle Pfieffer in Grease 2 if you’re looking for another musical. Not the best sequel but not the worst. Another old musical that is fun is The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
The original Hairspray from 1988 featured Rikki Lake as Tracy. Rikki cameos in this film as one of the dance judges. The original film is by John Waters, who cameos in this film as the flasher in the beginning. The 1988 film was turned into the Broadway musical, which then spawned this movie. Edna is always played by a man.
This film is personal to me for so many reasons. The musical is based on the John Waters non-musical film released in 1988 and is set in 1962 Baltimore. [I grew up in Baltimore, was living there in 1962 and 1988, and have met or brushed shoulders with John Waters and much of his stable of actors.] The 1960s saw changes in American culture that included the ascendency of Youth Culture, leading to media and marketing targeting teenagers. Music, dance, and fashion took hold. The TV show "American Bandstand" hosted by Dick Clark brought new music, live performances, new dances, and teen fashion into American homes. This show spawned local shows that copied the format; for Baltimore, it was "The Buddy Dean Show", with its 'Teen Council' anchoring the program along with Dean. The story goes that in the early 1980s the station that had broadcast "The Buddy Dean Show" was preparing a retrospective 20th Anniversary broadcast with many of the original Council members. A big advertising blitz was carried out and John Waters was asked to write an article on this for a local magazine. As Waters reminisced, the issues of misfits, local events, and race issues (keeping in mind federal laws on discrimination weren't passed until 1964-5) created the germ of an idea for what became his film "Hairspray". Divine was Edna Turnblad, then-unknown Ricki Lake was signed as Tracey, and Jerry Stiller played Wilbur Turnblad. Velma Van Tussle (played by Debbie Harry, of the group Blondie) was a stay-at-home social-ladder-climber married to a very alive Franklin Van Tussle (played by Sonny Bono, of Sonny & Cher fame). The world premiere was in Baltimore at the Senator Theater and attended by the Mayer, local celebrities, John Waters and the cast, including drag queen Divine, the top star in most of John Waters's films. Two weeks after the premiere, Divine (born Glenn Milstead) passed away from a heart attack in his sleep. In his honor, a convention arose that the part of Edna is always played by a biological man. The stage musical was developed at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle, opening in 2002. I've spent the last dozen-plus years living in Seattle.] Within 9 months of its stage debut, it went into further development as a Broadway musical, opening on Aug 15 2002. "Hairspray" received Tony Award nominations in 13 categories, winning eight, including for best musical, book, score and direction. It ran for six years and now is performed worldwide. RU-vid has some interesting videos of foreign language versions. The film musical was released in 2007. [I attended the Baltimore Premiere at the Charles Theater.] Prior to filming, there was some back-and-forth of where to shoot it. Baltimore was in the running for a time (Baltimore has great professional-quality film production that participates in Hollywood studio productions shot in the state of Maryland), but the decision came down to film it in Toronto, Canada. So, when you see aerial shots and exteriors, it's Toronto, not Baltimore.
The original from the 80s is one of my all-time favorites and I've seen it more times than I can count. This version I've seen once. That's all I'm saying.
My 2 favorite movie musicals are Moulin Rogue and Chicago. Chicago was based on a true story - then made into a movie, then a Broadway musical, then a movie based on the Broadway version.
Absolutely love this show…saw it on Broadway twice and the touring productions for three shows. Such an awesome show and I thought they did great with this movie. Amazing cast and great version of it. ❤❤
I can't believe that you never noticed John Travolta as Nicky's Mom, he was great, the entire cast was great in this film and what a cast it is, it's such a funny film, when Allison Janney's character wiped the TV to try remove the guy dancing that kissed her daughter (Amanda Bynes), I about fell off my chair and choked, lol.!, Great Film "HAIRSPRAY".!
I think this musical is so fun, but I didn’t even think to recommend it because I got it in my head that you’d already seen it haha. If you’re looking for a good Disney movie: Lilo and Stitch, Treasure Planet, Brother Bear, Meet the Robinsons, Ratatouille, The Incredibles. Also, Chicken Little is, in my opinion, worth the watch.
There are a wide array of musicals. I hope you'll check out some of the following: Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera ( either the live 25th Anniversary show taped live on stage or the movie), EVITA ( with Madonna and Antonio Banderas), the sequel to The Phantom called "Love Never Dies", and the Gothic thriller "Jekyll and Hyde." But also "The Sound of Music,", "Miss Saigon", and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Several of these are darker stories and EVITA and The Sound of Music are based on real lives and events.
If you ever get the chance, there was a phase where the TV networks were staging productions of musicals and filming them live. Hairspray was one of them. Much as I love the movie, I think Hairspray Live was the better version
11:04 That's Jerry Stiller, Ben Stiller's father. He's had tons of small roles in film (e.g. in Zoolander) and some regular work on TV (e.g. as George Costanza's dad on Seinfeld).
From the first time I saw Hairspray, which I wasn't allowed to see in the cinema thanks to my hubby, I decided that 'You can't stop the beat' has to be the final number at my funeral. My ashes go out, the doors close on those final notes with tinsel and confetti bursting from the ceilings and a huge part celebrating life starting. Now that is a way to go. The one thing that is a shame of this movie is that it is too cleaned up, John Walters was know for his "filth" movies and in this one, except for the rats and the flasher it very, very clean. Also, Corny Collins is implied to have a relationship with Motormouth, at least in the Stage performance and you can kinda see it in the end of the movie too
Since not only was I born and raised here in Baltimore, but my family goes back three generations here that I can tell you that the 2007 "Hairspray" is based on the 2003 Broadway hit "Hairspray" that is based on John Waters' original 1988 movie "Hairspray." The character of Corny Collins was based on the real life Buddy Deane, who had an afternoon teenage dance show on WJZ-TV here in Baltimore and the issue of black and white teenagers dancing together was considered a big NO NO when Buddy had his show and it eventually led to his show getting cancelled for "American Bandstand," which also aired on the same network back in the 1960s.
Originally a non-musical movie, then a broadway musical and then this movie, note in the original, Mr Pinky, Jerry Stiller (Ben's dad) played Tracy's dad,
