Email this Article Printer-friendly

By Ernio Hernandez
31 Jul 2007

The audience can sing-along with Zac Efron in "Hairspray."
photo by New Line Cinema

A sing-along screen version of "Hairspray," the new film based on the Broadway musical, hits select theatres Aug. 3.

The John Waters tale came back to the big screen July 20 with the addition of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman's Tony Award-winning score and a starry cast. Now the film can be enjoyed by audiences in a whole new way.

Special edition prints of "Hairspray" with sing-along tracks for audience participation will begin screenings Aug. 3 at theatres in New York and Los Angeles as well as across the country. The official website blog (hairspraymovie.com/blog) details more than 50 cities where the screenings will take place. (Check your local theatres for further information.)

Nikki Blonsky and Elijah Kelly, who co-star in the film, will launch the sing-along version at a special Aug. 1 screening in New York City.

*

Adam Shankman directs and choreographs the new "Hairspray" film, which was adapted by Leslie Dixon from Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan's Broadway book. The musical also boasts the Broadway score by Shaiman and Wittman with additional songs created for the film.

Playing the young wannabe dancing queen Tracy Turnblad is newcomer Nikki Blonsky. Her parents, Edna and Wilbur Turnblad, are played by John Travolta and Christopher Walken, respectively. Filling out the cast of the racially-changing Baltimore landscape are Queen Latifah (as Motormouth Maybelle), Zac Efron (Link Larkin), Brittany Snow (Amber von Tussel), Michelle Pfeiffer (Velma von Tussel), James Marsden (Corny Collins), Elijah Kelly ( Seaweed), Amanda Bynes (Penny Pingleton) and Allison Janney (Prudy Pingleton). (Keep an eye out for Jerry Stiller and cameos by Waters, Shaiman, Wittman, Shankman and original "Hairspray" film star Rikki Lake.)

The New Line Cinema film is based on the still-running musical Hairspray, which itself was based on the 1988 John Waters film of the same name. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron ("Chicago") executive produce with Shankman, Shaiman, Wittman, Garrett Grant and Jennifer Gibgot.

"Good Morning Baltimore," "The Nicest Kids in Town," "It Takes Two," "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs," "I Can Hear The Bells," "Welcome to the 60's," "Run and Tell That," "Big, Blonde & Beautiful" "(You're) Timeless To Me," "I Know Where I've Been," "Without Love," "(It's) Hairspray," and "You Can't Stop The Beat" from the musical are all featured in the film.

New songs include "Ladies' Choice," "The New Girl in Town" and "Come So Far (Got So Far To Go)."

The movie does not include "Mama, I'm A Big Girl Now," but fans of the show tune can hear it over the end credits as all three incarnations of Tracy — Nikki Blonsky (new "Hairspray" film), Marissa Jaret Winokur (original Broadway star) and Rikki Lake (original "Hairspray" film) — join together in song.

Visit the official movie website at hairspraymovie.com.

Elijah Kelly and Nikki Blonsky (foreground) will kick of the sing-along screenings of "Hairspray."
photo by New Line Cinema

Keyword: Features/Location: All News Features Celebrity Buzz Writer: All Ackerman, Ari Allen, Morgan Blank, Matthew Bradley, Anne Buckley, Michael Ehren, Christine Gans, Andrew Gewirtzman, David Grode, Eric Haun, Harry Hernandez, Ernio Hetrick, Adam Hylton, Kevin Inverne, James Jones, Kenneth Kalafatas, Greg Khodosh, Ilya Lefkowitz, David Maher, Sam Marcus, Jason Mardenfeld, Sandra Mattison, Ben Mazzola, Karen Merlo, Melissa Nathan, John Noland, Nathan Nondorf, Tom Pincus-Roth, Zachary Rothstein, Mervyn Rudetsky, Seth Simonson, Robert Staff, Playbill Suskin, Steven Tallmer, Jerry Taylor, Gregg Trinh, Paul Viagas, Robert Wawrzynek, Andrew Windman, Matt Wong, Wayman