'Hairspray' dances onto stage in Des Plaines
ArtReach Educational Theatre, in partnership with Spotlite Theatrix Production Company, is bringing lovable plus-size heroine Tracy Turnblad, played by Jillian Mayer of Chicago, back to the stage with their production of "Hairspray."
The Broadway musical has delighted audiences by sweeping them away to 1960s Baltimore, where the '50s are out and change is in the air. Turnblad has a passion for dancing and wins a spot on the local TV dance program, "The Corny Collins Show." Overnight she finds herself transformed from outsider to teen celebrity.
Can a larger-than-life adolescent manage to vanquish the program's reigning princess, integrate the television show and find true love (singing and dancing all the while, of course) without mussing her hair?
Find out this weekend at the Stage One Theatre, 620 Lee St., Des Plaines. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3.
"Hairspray," written by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, features many local actors, including Jonah Parra of Palatine as Link Larkin, Caroline Koch of Elmhurst as Amber, Larry Wisowaty of Oak Forest as Edna, Steve Malone of Northbrook as Wilbur, Terry Jackson of Hoffman Estates as Seaweed, Carol Bair of Schaumburg as Velma, Dan Walsh of Chicago as Corny Collins, Brandi Shafala of Poplar Grove as Little Inez, Patricia Schwartz of Hoffman Estates as Motormouth Maybelle, and Lexi Burkley of Lake Zurich as Penny Pingleton.
The production is being directed by Dan Walsh of Chicago, with musical direction by Angela Panzarella of Niles, and choreography by Walsh, Caroline Koch, DeZaRae Shafala of Poplar Grove, Sheryl Strain of Itasca and Jonah Parra.
Tickets cost $16 in advance or $18 at the door. Reservations are recommended. Group discounts are available.
For tickets and information, call (630) 808-5852 or see artreachspotlite.com.
If you goWhat: "Hairspray"When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3Where: Stage One Theatre, 620 Lee St., Des PlainesTickets: $16 in advance or $18 at the doorInfo: (630) 808-5852 or artreachspotlite.comFalse20001631Lexi Burkley of Lake Zurich plays Penny, Jillian Mayer of Chicago stars as Tracy and Caroline Koch of Elmhurst portrays Amber in "Hairspray," which opens Friday, Oct. 1, at Stage One Theatre in Des Plaines.Courtesy of ArtReach Educational TheatreFalse