Bright lights, big hair, and even bigger crowds. From April 16-18, the THS stage was filled with clouds of hairspray, stray dodge balls, and most importantly, a talented cast and crew.

After months of preparation, Towson High’s production of Hairspray culminated into one of the most astounding and memorable performances that the school has ever seen.

Whether it was the connection to Baltimore or the catchy songs that attracted some of the largest audiences Towson has ever seen, people of all ages raved over the brilliant acting, singing, and dancing.

Mr. Seward described the musical as “a quintessential high school production staged with awesome young actors/actresses” and added that it was “supported by an awesome band and technological acumen.”  Needless to say, he really liked it.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the production was the attendance of the co-writer of the Broadway version of Hairspray, Marc Shaiman, on Saturday evening. After the play, Mr. Shaiman spoke to the crew about their performance, and he later emailed Mr. Rhen, praising the pit orchestra for their remarkable sound.

The praise was certainly well-earned, as both cast and crew spent long hours working to perfect the musical. Everest Brooks, who was part of the team who managed the audio for the show, explained just how difficult his job was: “Getting all the cues right for the sound, lights, and set movements is extremely hard to synchronize.”  However,  everything came together successfully for the show.

Towson’s production of Hairspray also came during a significant period for Baltimore, now known as the “Baltimore Uprising.”  As Mrs. Zava observed, the musical “was a poignant reminder of an important historical time in our city.”

The actions of heroine Tracy Turnblad left audiences with a lasting message of unity and peace that we can only hope will be applied to the current problems facing Baltimore today.