Good Morning, Baltimore: ‘Hairspray’ Begins Run Tonight

Catchy tunes and flashy dance moves coincide with a change in social norms in 1960s Baltimore.

MoorArts’ Hairspray begins its six-show run tonight, bringing the big hair and bigger social shifts of the ’60s to Moorestown High School. The production “features an extra-large cast befitting the story of a plus-sized teen out to vanquish stereotypes and prejudice,” a MoorArts release reads. Director Jeanne Haynes double-casted three leading roles: Anne Kessler and Emily Duncan will play heroine Tracy, a plus-sized teen with dreams of making it big on the local dancing show. Erin Brogan and Samantha Maliha alternate as Tracy’s best friend, Penny, while Rachel Smith and Courtney Halpin both play Tracy’s scheming nemesis, Amber. The Hairspray cast includes thespians from many local communities, including Moorestown, Haddonfield, Mt. Laurel…

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Under the Radar

Smoke, Mirrors and 'Hairspray'

A backstage look as MoorArts' "Hairspray" comes together.

My mother always told me that the best way to stay young was to hang around with young people. She also called me an idiot on more than one occasion, so I’m happy to report that I am following her advice by surrounding myself with young performers AND feeling idiotic as we prepare for MoorArts' Hairspray.   Set to open on July 8 for six performances, the cast is in mad rehearsal mode with less than a month to go. Being the oldest cast member (again!) gives me an insight into a process that might be of interest to sane readers who have never been in a theatrical production. Henceforth, my look behind the scenes of a community theater production, edited to protect the innocent, the divas and the teenagers who never, ever stop talking. May 24…

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Marsia Mason

12:13 pm on Tuesday, June 28, 2011

How about this one? "Always be nice to everyone on the tech crew and in the pit."   more ›

5 Things You Need to Know

Five Things You Need to Know This Week

Pay to participate public hearing, Hairspray tickets and animals at the library are all on tap this week.

1. The Board of Education will have a second reading and public hearing Tuesday on a "pay to participate" policy. The policy would charge a fee to students to participate in extracurricular activities. The meeting is at 7:30 p.m. at William Allen Middle School, 801 North Stanwick Rd. 2. The zoning board will meet Tuesday, also at  7:30 p.m. at William Allen Middle School. 3. Are you "brave enough to wink at a wallaby, get cozy with a coatimundi or pair up with a pot-bellied pig?" The library is kicking off its summer of adventures with animals Thursday at 2:30 p.m. Visit or call the library at 856-234-0333 to register for Wallaby Tales Traveling Zoo Presents: One World, Many Animals. 4. Buy your tickets Thursday in-person for MoorArts' …

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Haynes Back at the Helm

Former MHS musical director will lead the cast of "Hairspray" in MoorArts Summer Theater production.

In directing the MoorArts production of Hairspray this summer, Jeanne Haynes won’t be glossing over the issues the play addresses. “Everything that a culture would hope doesn’t exit anymore, existed in the ’60s,” said Haynes. “This was life in the ’60s.” Haynes, who was the high school musical director for 17 years, directed the 2009 MoorArts production of Into the Woods. She is looking forward to directing Hairspray, a musical she loved the first time she saw it on Broadway. “The show has so many interesting elements,” she said. “It has incredible music and dancing. It’s what drew me to it.” Hairspray got its start in 1988 as a film by John Waters. It is set in 1962 Baltimore and centers on Tracy Tumblad, a plus-size teenager who is …

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