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Hairspray to tour in 2013 - tickets available now

Posted: 11 years ago
Mark Benton takes on the role of Edna Turnblad for the huge UK tour which kicks off in February 2013 and runs until the autumn, tickets are on sale now
Hairspray

Sometimes, audiences are not, for whatever reason, ready for the creative brilliance presented to them. And so it proved with John Waters' cult classic (translation: not that successful at the box office) starring Ricki Lake, the 1988 comedy Hairspray.

Film goers, seemingly, mostly wanted Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke-types toying with the week's shopping. They craved shoulder-pads and Tom Cruise and powerful ambition. Greed may have been good but audiences only warmed to Hairspray's 'pleasantly plump' Tracy Turnblad in comparatively small numbers. The movie grossed around $8million at the US box office. At least it finished in the black.

A decade ago, however, Hairspray returned as a musical. Perhaps obviously, the playhouses of Broadway and then the West End proved a far more comfortable home for the show's camp theatricality. It won eight (that's EIGHT) Tony Awards in 2003, including Best Musical. It did so well, that they made it into a film (eh?). Yep, a budget of around $75million bought producers John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken and Zac Efron, and global receipts in excess of $200 million. Style that.

Finally appreciated at a level commensurate with the creative genius of the auteur Waters, Hairspray continues to go from strength to strength. A new touring production has been announced for 2013 starring the much-loved Mark Benton (Early Doors, Northern Lights, Waterloo Road) as Edna Turnblad.

The massive tour kicks off in Manchester in February, taking in much of the UK, right through until September 2013. We have a selection of tickets available now, including the dates in Milton Keynes, Liverpool , Glasgow and Bristol. Prices range from just £18, rising to around £50 for the very best weekend seats, depending on venue. Most seats are priced £25 to £40.

Stewart Darkin