NBC Can't Stop the Beat: Hairspray Is Its Next Live Musical

January 13, 2016

Are you the kind of musical theater obsessive who’s still recovering from the excellent fun that was “The Wiz Live!” and eagerly awaiting the debut of “Grease: Live” later this month?

Yup. Me too. WE ARE ALL THAT MUSICAL THEATER OBSESSIVE.

So let’s all twist and shout for joy together, because NBC gave us some happy news yesterday: Its next live musical production, coming to a TV near you this December, will be Hairspray—one of the cheeriest, campiest, danciest shows around. A musical about live television, on live television! Love it.

Nikki Blonsky in the 2007 movie version of Hairspray (photo New Line Cinema)

No word yet on casting, etc, but team NBC is apparently open to having John Travolta reprise his role from the 2007 film. So…there’s that. (Let’s go ahead and bring Zac Efron back while we’re at it, shall we? And re-settle Adam Shankman in the director’s chair.)

Who’d be in your dream Hairspray cast? Let us know in the comments—and then satisfy your rapidly-intensifying musical theater craving by reading all about Fox’s upcoming “Grease: Live” in our January issue.


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