Hairspray hullabaloo

"If a 4-foot-11, chubby, New York girl can be a leading lady in a Broadway show and win a Tony,then anything can happen!"---Marissa Jaret Winokur, 2003
This is one of my favorite Tony Awards acceptance speeches ever. I watched "Hairspray" shortly after, but missed seeing Marissa. It is a lively, feel-good musical with serious underlying themes of discrimination and racism. I was not a fan of the original 1988 John Waters film but liked the Broadway show. The new movie is coming out this Friday. The cast members have been doing the rounds of television talk shows. The Today Show is even celebrating Hairspray week, culminating with a performance by the cast on Friday. I'm always a little wary of movie musicals, but hopefully this version will be brilliant.