Hairspray

Another sell-out show for CADOS at Mornington Hall for their latest ambitious production of Hairspray. Thirty-two performers, twelve crew and front of house team, ten new members making their debut; these are all great signs of CADOS going from strength to strength and reaping the rewards of the work you all put into the lockdown period two years ago.

Hairspray also enabled you to showcase the diversity of the Borough in which you perform and represent with authenticity. You can only put on Hairspray and tell its story with a diverse cast, which was explained this so well in the introduction. 

The songs were excellent and gave good scope for lots of actors to have their number and moment in the spotlight. These numbers also provided the opportunity for many dance routines and some decent characters gave the actors a chance to shine. In all, I can see why you chose Hairspray and why your audience enjoyed the production so much.

The design with the colourful 1960s graphics made a fun, cartoon style splash both sides of the stage and at the back. The double-sided flats made scene changes slick and easy. The smoke haze at the opening seemed to sit half way between the floor and the ceiling, very clever if it was intentional.

The movement of so many people on, around and off a relatively small space was done with precision and discipline. All the scenes worked and flowed smoothly and there were some lovely pictures such as the gang around the Corney Collins show sign and the bridesmaids in I Can Hear the Bells.

So, perhaps the big question is, did the two actors sharing Tracy, Edna and Velma work? Absolutely! What a fantastic idea and I felt you were right to be so obvious about it. Announcing the doubling to the audience at the welcome, at times having both actors on stage together, making the two Ednas very differentall worked so well and kept this fun element going once the audience had accepted this way of playing. For a big cast and a more inclusive way to share the lead opportunities, this was very innovative and I wondered why I haven’t seen it done before. Brilliant.

Singing to a backing track is never easy but the cast took it in their stride and were tight together most of the time. The harmonies enriched the sound and those with good voices shone through. This was especially noticeable in I Know Where I’ve Been when the choir supported the mood and emotion sensitively. 

Full marks for collecting such a huge array of costumes that were of the right period and set the scenes well. I’ve mentioned some already but let me add the matching prison guards, the dodgeball gear, the purple Ultra Clutch girls, Mrs Pinky and the Council Members’ dresses.

This was a pertinent, ambitious musical that was performed well by the cast. The doubling up was a great idea and the energy, costumes and some fine singers delivered a production CADOS can be proud of.

Paul Daynes, NODA Regional Representative