Hairspray

As the curtain lifts, we see Tracy in bed and the opening bars of ‘Good Morning Baltimore’ kick in. Making her professional debut as Tracy is Alexandra Emmerson-Kirby who was fantastic throughout. Tracy is such a great character, full of spirit, full of love and the kind of person you’d want on your side. Emmerson-Kirby truly embodied all of those qualities and provided a first class performance with a strong vocal and a warmth that radiated off the stage. Another performer making her theatrical debut was Michelle Ndegwa as Motormouth Maybelle. With a voice as smooth as silk, Ndegwa was right at home on stage and thoroughly impressed with her version of “I Know Where I’ve Been”. The feeling of confidence when someone opens their mouth to sing was in abundance with Ndegwa, and I literally relaxed into my seat to bathe in the beauty of the talent on display. Let’s hope we see more of Michelle on our stages!

There are many stand out performances throughout the show from the likes of Solomon Davy as Link Larkin, Declan Egan as Corny Collins and Freya McMahon as Penny Pingleton, however a quite memorable scene stealer went to Neil Hurst as Edna Turnblad and Dermot Canavan as her husband Wilbur. “(You’re) Timeless to Me” remains one of those songs in musical theatre where the performers are able to ad-lib, injecting extra humour into the routine. The comic timing between the pair was spot on, and had the audience in stitches.

Another spectacular performance came in the shape of Joanne Clifton as ‘Miss Baltimore Crabs’ Velma Von Tussle. Having recently seen Joanne playing Princess Fiona in the U.K. & Ireland Tour of Shrek, I was already a fan and felt confident that her performance would be outstanding, and I was right, I couldn’t fault it. Clifton has wonderful stage presence, an incredible voice and perfect comic timing. Alongside Allana Taylor as daughter Amber Von Tussle, the pair revelled in their almost pantomime-esque villain roles with complete delight.