Hairspray tour announces complete casting

Full casting and additional dates have been revealed for Hairspray the Musical, which will open on tour in Manchester at the Palace Theatre on 16 July 2024 and run through to April 2025.

Hairspray alum Brenda Edwards (We Will Rock You) will make her directorial debut for the new mounting. Edwards, who has played the role of “Motormouth Maybelle” during three previous tours of Hairspray will co-direct alongside Paul Kerryson (Chicago), with Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s new artistic director Drew McOnie (In the Heights) serving as choreographer.

As already revealed, the cast will feature Neil Hurst (Edna Turnblad), Joanne Clifton and Gina Murray (Velma Von Tussle – with Murray performing the role from 16 July to 7 September only), Michelle Ndegwa (Motormouth Maybelle), Solomon Davy (Link Larkin), Declan Egan (Corny Collins), Alexandra Emmerson-Kirby (making her professional debut as Tracy Turnblad), Katlo (Little Inez), Reece Richards (Seaweed), Allana Taylor (Amber Von Tussle) and Freya McMahon (Penny Pingleton).

Ndegwa obtained the role after being selected from more than 3000 people who applied to the open auditions in November last year.

The ensemble includes Ben Anderson, Grace Anyiam, Nina Bell, Joseph Bristow, Vanessa Dumatey, Rebecca French, Stuart Hickey, Marcellus Hill, Shemar Jarrett, Kirsty Sparks, Jaiden Lodge, Olly Manley, Sasha Monique, Jacob Smith, and Issie Wilman.

Joseph Bristow, Ryan Appiah-Sarpong, Duncan Burt, Shaniquah Notice-Morris and Emily Ann Potter complete the company.

Hairspray, penned by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, is set in 1962 in a racially-segregated Baltimore, Maryland. It follows teenager Tracy Turnblad, who dreams about dancing on The Corny Collins Show. The score features such standards as “Welcome To The 60s”, “You Can’t Stop The Beat” and “Good Morning Baltimore”.

The creative team for the new tour includes set and costume designer Takis, lighting designer Philip Gladwell, sound designer Ben Harrison, musical supervisor and arranger Ben Atkinson, musical director and supervisor Richard Atkinson, video designer George Reeve and resident director Juliet Gough. Casting is by Grindrod Burton.

Produced by Mark Goucher, Matthew Gale and Laurence Myers, Hairspray will launch the tour at Manchester’s Palace Theatre (16 to 27 July), before heading to the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff (29 July to 3 August), Canterbury’s Marlowe (6 to 10 August), Cheltenham Everyman (13 to 17 August), Liverpool Empire (19 to 24 August), Belfast’s Grand Opera House (26 to 31 August), Milton Keynes Theatre (2 to 7 September), Southend Cliffs Pavilion (9 to 14 September), Birmingham Hippodrome (16 to 21 September), Curve Leicester (23 to 28 September), Theatre Royal Brighton (30 September to 5 October), Edinburgh Playhouse (7 to 12 October), Sheffield Lyceum Theatre (14 to 19 October), New Wimbledon Theatre (21 to 26 October), York Grand Opera House (28 October to 2 November), Nottingham Theatre Royal (4 to 9 November), Newcastle Theatre Royal (11 to 16 November), Hull New Theatre (18 to 23 November), and Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre (25 to 30 November).

Into 2025, the show will visit Southampton Mayflower (6 to 11 January), Hall for Cornwall (13 to 18 January), His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen (20 to 25 January), Glasgow’s Kings Theatre (27 January to 1 February 2024), Wolverhampton Grand (3 to 8 February), Norwich Theatre (10 to 15 February), Aylesbury Waterside (17 to 22 February), Bristol Hippodrome (24 February to 1 March), Woking New Victoria (31 March to 5 April), Venue Cymru (7 to 12 April) and Sunderland Empire (14 to 19 April).

Select venues are on sale at the link below.

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