Hairspray Live! (airs on NBC 12/7/16) (1 Viewer)

[Malcolm R]

Casting is being announced bit by bit for the upcoming live TV version of Hairspray to air in December. The announcements so far:

Maddie Baillio as Tracy Turnblad
Garrett Clayton as Link Larkin
Andrea Martin as Prudence Pingleton
Ariana Grande as Penny Pingleton
Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad
Martin Short as Wilbur Turnblad
Derek Hough as Corny Collins
Sean Hayes as Mr. Pinky
Jennifer Hudson as Motormouth Maybelle
Kristin Chenoweth as Velma Von Tussle

From EW.com

Grease: Live! director Alex Rudzinski will co-helm Hairspray Live! with Kenny Leon, who previously directed The Wiz Live! for NBC. Fierstein wrote the teleplay for the production, and Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots,On Your Feet!) will choreograph to songs and lyrics by Tony winner Marc Shaiman and Broadway director Scott Wittman.

 

[Matt Hough]

All of these are solid casting choices and I'm looking forward to the production. Having seen it on stage and on film, this new incarnation (with some new songs by the original songwriting team) should be reason enough to see it.

 

[Charles Smith]

I love this show and was thrilled to learn that Harvey's in. Interesting, no casting announcement yet for Tracy Turnblad -- or have I missed it?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I love this show and was thrilled to learn that Harvey's in. Interesting, no casting announcement yet for Tracy Turnblad -- or have I missed it?

They held an open casting call in New York on Sunday.

 

[Malcolm R]

More casting news:

Kristin Chenoweth will take on the role of Velma Von Tussle in the upcoming musical.

Newcomer Maddie Baillio will play the lead role of Tracy.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Ariana Grande will play Penny Pingleton

Great choice!

Assuming the newcomer playing Tracy is solid, this is looking to have the best cast yet for one of these live TV musicals.

 

[Malcolm R]

I'm still not sold on Jennifer Hudson as Maybelle. Seaweed is the same age as Tracy and Penny. Hudson doesn't seem old enough to be his mother, unless they're making Maybelle and Seaweed siblings, rather than mother/son, in this version.

Though that may be more my perception than reality, as Hudson is almost 35. Queen Latifah was 36 when they filmed the 2007 movie.

 

[Malcolm R]

Andrea Martin to play Prudence Pingleton (mother to Ariana Grande's Penny).

 

[Stan]

Will there be two performances of this, East and West coast because of time zones? Didn't NBC do that with "The Sound of Music"?

 

[Malcolm R]

First teaser is out. More casting:

Garrett Clayton as Link Larkin
Sean Hayes as Mr. Pinky