Wind, rain and humidity are the greatest enemies of elaborately coiffed hair.
With any luck, when the Theatre Under the Stars production of Hairspray opens on the outdoor Malkin Bowl stage next week, the cast members will be wearing so much styling product that even a summer tempest won't cause their updos to fall flat.
Hannah Williams expects to spend a lot of hours in the hair and makeup chair this summer getting backcombed, curled and spritzed before show time. The 22-year-old graduate of Capilano University's musical theatre program will be playing high schooler Penny Pingleton, the devoted best friend of protagonist Tracy Turnblad.
"Traditionally, Penny wears pigtails with a big pouf in the front," Williams says of her character's signature hairstyle. Since Williams has naturally long locks, she's hoping she won't need to wear an uncomfortable wig or hairpiece to achieve the look.
This summer marks the 75th anniversary of TUTS, and Hairspray will play in repertory with Oliver! The Musical this season. Williams made her TUTS debut last year in Legally Blonde and says she is excited to be back, this time working with director Sarah Rodgers and choreographer Julie Tomaino.
"This musical is so much fun because it's so high energy and it's got great themes," she says.
Set in Baltimore, Md, in 1962, the story follows plus-sized heroine Tracy Turnblad (played by Erin E. Walker) as she follows her dream to audition for and dance on the local TV teen variety program The Corny Collins Show.
Penny, her loyal, bubbly and somewhat dorky friend, supports her along the way.
"Penny is a very sweet girl with an overbearing mother who's quite strict just because she loves her so much," Williams explains. "But Penny's at the age where she's ready to try new things and break out and discover who she is."
Williams had plenty of research material to work with in preparation for the role. The musical version of Hairspray debuted on Broadway in 2002 and was based on director John Waters' 1988 comedy movie of the same name. A film adaptation of the Broadway musical was released in 2007, starring John Travolta in drag as Tracy's overweight mother Edna Turnblad. TUTS will continue the tradition of casting a male actor as Edna with Andy Toth reprising his 2012 Arts Club role.
Williams experimented with different quirks and characteristics to create a Penny that worked for her.
"Penny's quite awkward. She has a funny voice — it's quite high. She's a little bit of a klutz sometimes, so she's not the most graceful of creatures, and she's quite nervous because of all the new things she's trying," Williams explains. "She's really excited about it at the same time, so she has a couple of nervous ticks that present themselves and manifest in her movement."
Hairspray is a fun and feel-good musical featuring upbeat song-and-dance numbers such as "Good Morning Baltimore," "Run and Tell That" and "You Can't Stop the Beat." But beneath the cheerful singing, choreographed moves and larger-than-life hairdos, there are more serious themes. For one, Tracy does not fit the cookie-cutter standard of beauty and is criticized for her weight, yet she pursues her dream of dancing in the limelight anyways. Meanwhile, she and her friends, including Penny, speak out against racial segregation and fight to integrate The Corny Collins Show so black teens and white teens can dance together.
Williams paraphrases one of her favourite lines that she thinks sums up a deeper message in the show: "If people see us dancing together, they'll see we're not so different after all. We just want to have a good time."
Theatre Under the Stars presents Hairspray: The Broadway Musical and Oliver! The Musical, July 10 to Aug. 22 at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park. For tickets and details, go to or call 1-877-840-0457.
