Adventure 3: "The Only Thing Better Than Hairspray...."

In the task of being completely honest with this blog (and youuu) I really struggled this week! Not just with doing something new (although with crazy hours at work this is really hard!) but also just with my emotions. No matter how many people tell you that he's not worth crying about, sometimes you just need to cry anyway.

I was really worried about what I would write on (hence the slightly late post - apologies) but my friend accidentally came to my rescue and invited me last minute to see.... Hairspray! The national tour is where I live at the moment and she had a spare ticket! As she messaged me 5 minutes before she had to pick me up, it was an entirely spontaneous decision on my part, and I'm not going to lie, I'm quite proud of myself, for making the decision in the first place, and for choosing the more exciting option. There was a part of me that really wanted to stay at home in my pyjamas after being at work, but I didn't - and that must be some sort of step for me.

What I Thought:

• I'm a massive fan of the film so I found I was anticipating a lot of things before they were happening and was kind of subconciously comparing it at all times, which isn't really fair considering a show and a film are going to be completely different.
• I think there were a few problems with the set as it was opening night in this location, but they managed to smooth them out by the second act.
• The energy for me was the main thing! All the numbers and dances and just the characters themselves (as some of them are pretty ridiculous) required insane amounts of energy and I think this was something definitely achieved, by the final number (You Can't Stop the Beat) I was feeling that I really wanted to just be on stage dancing away. Unfortunately, I can't dance...
• Some of the 'white' characters (this being a show about segregation/integration) I found actually worked better in the film? This might just be me but some of the characters are really quite weird (such as Penny Pingleton and her mother) and I felt quite uncomfortable with some of their interactions on stage, rather than amused. Especially in the song Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now which is not included in the film, and which was one of the numbers I didn't particularly enjoy.
• Standout songs: 
• You're Timeless to Me (Edna and Wilbur Turnblad) their interactions were so adorable and they played their parts wonderfully, especially in this scene. Despite Edna obviously being an overly theatrical part, this scene was delightfully played down in my opinion, which made it a lot more charming to see.
• I Know Where I've Been (Motormouth Maybelle) Oh. My. Goodness. Brenda Edwards can you sing!!! This was pure vocal heaven, with all the emotion behind it, and I don't even want to go into it. Just know, it was amazing, and I almost cried at the intensity.
• You Can't Stop the Beat (Everyone!) Already one of my favourites, the energy of this one just brought down the house as the entire cast managed to dance to the whole thing (they must have been exhausted by this point!) and even got the audience involved as well, which lets not lie... we secretly all wanted to just be a part of it! 
• Standout character: Seaweed (Dex Lee). Just all around great and convincing at everything, charming and also...crazily muscled legs! 

I definitely enjoyed the second act more than the first (all of my favourite musical numbers being from this act) and I can't exactly pinpoint why, I think maybe there was just too much crammed into the first act (which is obviously no fault of this particular company) and some bits I found excruciatingly awkward. Overall though, a wonderful evening, and I'm really glad I took the plunge and went so spontaneously!