NBC: ‘Hairspray’ live musical coming in December
NBC has announced that "Hairspray" veteran Harvey Fierstein will adapt the musical's book, based on the 1988 John Waters film, for the live version of the show this year. Above, the Tony Award-winning actor attends the New York Stage and Film 2014 Winter Gala in Manhattan in November 2014. Credit: Getty Images / Ilya S. Savenok
The Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Hairspray,” already adapted as a 2007 movie, is coming to live TV.
NBC announced Thursday that Harvey Fierstein — who won Best Actor in a Musical for his drag role as 1960s Baltimore mom Edna Turnblad — will adapt the Tony Award-winning book by Thomas Meehan and Mark O’Donnell, based on writer-director John Waters’ 1988 film.
The Tony-winning original songwriters, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, also are involved with the TV version, the network said. Directing is Kenny Leon, who took a 2014 Tony for his revival of the drama “A Raisin in the Sun” and who recently helmed NBC’s “The Wiz Live!”
The telecast will air Wednesday, Dec. 7.
“In keeping with our desire to bring the best of Broadway to our live musicals, we’ve assembled the Broadway dream team of Tony Award winners for ‘Hairspray Live,’” said NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt in a statement. “We’re thrilled to have director Kenny Leon, who knocked ‘The Wiz Live’ way out of the park, and Jerry Mitchell, the original choreographer of ‘Hairspray’ ” and the director of the current Broadway musicals “Kinky Boots” “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan.”
A cast will be announced at a later date.
Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron also did NBC’s “The Sound of Music Live!” “Peter Pan Live!” and “The Wiz Live!”
“Hairspray” ran 2,642 performances and 31 previews at the Neil Simon Theatre from 2002 to 2009.
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