Former X Factor contestant, Loose Women presenter and stage star, Brenda Edwards will make her directing debut with the 2024/25 major UK and Ireland tour of Hairspray.
This will be the first time Brenda has directed a stage show, having appeared in Hairspray as ‘Motormouth’ Maybelle in three previous tours and also as Killer Queen in We Will Rock You at London Coliseum.
She will join Paul Kerryson (Chicago and Sweeney Todd) in the creative team, with the show scheduled to open at Manchester’s Palace Theatre on 16th July 2024.
The musical will visit the likes of Cardiff (29th July - 3rd August 2024), Liverpool (19th - 24th August 2024), Milton Keynes (2nd - 7th September 2024), Birmingham (16th - 21st September 2024), Nottingham (4th - 9th November 2024) and Southampton (6th - 11th January 2025), with further dates and venues to be announced. You can see all touring dates and venues by clicking here.
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Brenda Edwards said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be invited by the producers to make my directorial debut on the show as a co-director with Paul Kerryson.
“Hairspray, and this production in particular, has been such a huge part of my life. The show’s story and themes are as relevant as ever and I cannot wait to present a vibrant new production of this timeless musical for everyone to enjoy.”
After breaking box office records and delighting audiences in the West End, on Broadway and on the big screen since 1988, the timeless story of Hairspray centres around heroine Tracy Turnblad, who has big hair, a big heart, and big dreams to dance her way onto national TV, and into the heart of teen idol Link Larkin.
When Tracy becomes a local star, she is able to use her new-found fame to fight for liberation, tolerance, and interracial unity in Baltimore.
Hairspray is a musical based on the 1988 film of the same name which starred Divine and Ricki Lake by cult filmmaker John Waters. With music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, Hairspray originally opened to rave reviews on Broadway in 2002 and subsequently won eight Tony Awards.
The production opened in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2007 and won four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical.
Group tickets and prices are venue specific, with more information available at www.hairsprayuktour.com.
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