THEATER | Opening Night of Hairspray at the Paramount Theater

WHY WE LOVED IT

Opening night of Hairspray at the Paramount (Jan 23) brought John Waters' hit movie to life. The elite cast of 30 delivered an exciting performance giving theater goers a bubbly and colorful center stage look at the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

Singing and dancing their way through the brunt of racial segregation, the engaging performers, led by the fabulous Amelia Jo Parish as trend-setting and fame-seeking plus-sized Tracy Turnblad, entertained with engaging wit and laughter.

Directed and choreographed by Amber Mak, this larger than life performance uses the power of friendship, true love and human kindness through music and dance to remind us of the importance of individuality and the acceptance of others. -Lindy Kleivo for Glancer Magazine

THE PARAMOUNT SHARES MORE ABOUT THE SHOW & THE DYNAMIC CAST

A high-energy song and dance party about a plus-size teen, with plus-size hair, and one big plus-size dream - to dance her way onto Baltimore's hit TV show, "The Corny Collins Show."

The incomparable E. Faye Butler makes her Paramount debut as well as Motormouth Maybelle. On his blog, Paramount Artistic Director Jim Corti wrote today, "It seems I've known this powerhouse, multi-award winning beauty all my life and it's hard to keep track of Ms. Butler as she never stops working! I will never forget her portrayals of Dinah Washington in Dinah Was at Northlight and in the title role of Court Theatre's Caroline, or Change."

Butler is just one in an A-list, 30-person cast including Amelia Jo Parish as Tracy Turnblad, Michael Kingston as Edna Turnblad, Gilbert Domally as Seaweed J. Stubbs, Devin DeSantis as Corny Collins, Michael Ehlers as Wilbur Turnblad, Landree Fleming as Penny Pingleton, Henry McGinniss as Link Larkin, Samantha Pauly as Amber Von Tussle, Heather Townsend as Velma Von Tussle and Ariana Burks as Little Inez.

Adding motion to the ocean are Hairspray ensemble members David Davis,Gilbert Domally, Annie Jo Ermel, Adam Fane, Megan E. Farley, Allyson Graves,Danielle Jackman, Allie Jae, Reneisha Jenkins, Alex John Johnson, George Keating, James Lee, Ericka Mac, Mallory Maedke, John Marshall Jr., Brian A. Nelson Jr., Mollyanne Nunn, Jaymes Osborne, Carlita Victoria and Phil Young.

Regular performances continue through February 21: Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursday at 7 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Estimated run time is 2 hours and 30 minutes including intermission. There will be two certified sign interpreters translating all dialogue and lyrics into American Sign Language on Thursday, February 18 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $41 to $56. The Paramount Theatre is located at 23 E. Galena Blvd., in the heart of downtown Aurora. For tickets and information, go toParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666 or visit the Paramount box office Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and two hours prior to evening performances. Hairspray - The Broadway Musical is rated PG. Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

Tickets: http://paramountaurora.com/

Stage photos by Liz Lauren

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