I’m a little late to the party, but you didn’t think I’d forget about the Live! Musical review did you?
NBC has done it again, now with it’s 4th musical, “Hairspray Live!” a musical that oddly mirrors the current political climate in America.
The musical follows Tracy, a heavyset teenager hoping to become a cast member on a dancing television show, in 1962. Along with her ditsy friend Penny, Tracy makes it her mission to allow the African-American cast members to dance on the show everyday, not just their scheduled once a month.
So, here are my thoughts:
The Good:
Maddie Baillio as Tracy
NBC realized very quickly that a bankable star might not always be the best way to go, if they can’t sing, dance AND Act. Maddie is an unknown, having won the role at an open casting call, beating nearly 1,000 others. The young woman is beautiful, can sing amazingly well and she makes Tracy her own. I believe she has a bright future ahead of her.
Kristen Chenoweth and Derek Hough
Chenoweth is fabulous in almost everything she does, but she was especially wonderful in the role of Velma, a television producer hellbent on keeping television as white as possible. She had the right amount of silliness without making the character melodramatic.
Hough, I knew was a dancer, but holy moly, the guy can sing. That was a wonderful surprise. I had seen some online chatter that he “wasn’t living up to” James Mardsen, whom plays the role in the film. I felt he played Corny Collins just fine. It is funny that his sister, Julianne, played Sandy in Grease Live!
Multiple Stages
NBC took notes from FOX and this time, the production was not restricted to one stage. Instead, actors had room to breathe and the camera work mostly was a welcoming change from the previous musicals. I saw a few reviews mention this as a negative, which I certainly do not agree with. Using a studio lot is the way to go.
The Just-Okay :
Garret Clayton as Link
Apparently Clayton rose to fame as a Disney star, in one of their original movies. I hadn’t heard of him before. Clayton is not a bad performer, but something was off. I believe he never got the note to ‘rein it in’ when it came to his acting, which caused his performance to came across as very melodramatic, as though he was an actor in a high school musical. (Pun not intended.)
The Bad:
Ariana Grande as Penny
While Grande was “passable” with her acting of the ditsy best friend, whenever she sang, it was apparent she thought she was performing one of her concerts. The character of Penny would disappear and Grande the Pop Star appeared! Her breathy, barely audible singing totally took away from the production.
The Host/Viewing Parties
While NBC intelligently took cues from Grease Live about multiple stages, they unfortunately decided a host was needed as well. The Host is an element in the live musical that needs to be done away with. It makes sense to have one, but all a host does is bring attention to the fact we’re watching a show and it takes you out of the performance. Musicals don’t stop for a host on Broadway, so they shouldn’t stop for one on television either.
Final Thoughts:
The NBC Musical and other variants is a wonderful thing to see happen. I hope the live musical continues throughout the years to come. I did enjoy ‘Hairspray Live’ overall and I’m excited for the next one.
*Character Images are property of NBC and were taken by Brian Bowen Smith.
*Party Image taken from City TV Live Broadcast.
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