REVIEW: Hairspray, at Cambridge Corn Exchange until Saturday evening, will have you singing and dancing all night long

Full of boundless energy, vibrancy and well choreographed routines, Hairspray is a perfect throwback to the sixties.

The cast of Hairspray - Credit: Archant

Everything from the set designs to the colourful costumes and Baltimore accents, its opening night at the Cambridge Corn Exchange was a huge success.

Tony Maudsley (Benidorm) is genuinely hilarious as Edna Turnblad, who transforms from a dirty laundry-washing housewife to a reinvigorated 60s woman ready for the world of TV. He really is the life and soul of the show.

Edna’s daughter and the show’s protagonist, Tracy Turnblad, played by Freya Sutton (Into The Woods) is charming and loveable throughout the whole show, while Claire Sweeney (Chicago) fills the villain role perfectly, as closed-minded producer of The Corny Collins Show, Velma Von Tussle.

Brenda Edwards (The X Factor, We Will Rock You) is undeniably phenomenal as Motormouth Maybelle, delivering a vocal so show-stopping and mind-blowing it doesn’t leave many dry eyes in the room: most notably during the raw emotion of ‘I Know Where I’ve Been’.

The story, meanwhile, about black and white segregation, is told in a light-hearted and funny way, uniting all walks of life together through dance … and, at first, detention.

Just as good as the film, if not better, the stage production is packed full of laughs and sing-along moments that’ll have you belting out ‘You Cant Stop The Beat’ all the way home.

By the finale, everyone is up on their feet dancing, singing and clapping along as Tracy beams to the crowd below, “come on Cambridge!”

5/5

Hairspray is at the Cambridge Corn Exchange until Saturday. Visit http://www.hairsprayuktour.com/ for more information