Baltimore 1962 was a turbulent place and time where “the races” did not intermingle. Music, however, was a meeting point, even if it meant dancing separately. Adapted from the 1988 John Waters movie of the same name, the stage production of Hairspray captures the trials and tribulations of ever-optimistic plump teenager Tracy Turnblad as she simultaneously attempts to end segregation and become the newest local TV show dance star. Filled with grooving soul and popping rhythm and blues music, this musical bursts with life, puffy skirts, and big hair, while poignantly chronicling the social injustices of the 1960s. When the TV show cancels “Negro Day,” Tracy organizes a mixed-race protest that results in changing attitudes amid a positively hilarious outcome.
Groove with Tracy at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at Gilbert’s Hale Centre Theatre, 50 West Page Avenue. Tickets are $24 for adults. Performances continue through August 24. Visit www.haletheatrearizona.com.
Thursdays, 7 p.m.; Fridays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, 3 & 7:30 p.m. Starts: July 25. Continues through Aug. 24, 2013