17TH  -­  20TH  SEPTEMBER  2014Book  by  Mark  O’Donnelland  Thomas  Meehan

LYRICS  by  Scott  Wittmanand  Marc  Shaiman

MUSIC  by  Marc  Shaiman

Based  upon  the  New  Line  Cinema  film  written  and  directed  by  John  Waters

THIS  AMATEUR  PRODUCTION  IS  PRESENTED  BY  ARRANGEMENT  WITH  JOSEF  WEINBERGER  LTD.  ON  BEHALF  OF  MUSIC  THEATRE  INTERNATIONAL  OF  NEW  YORK

28th  OCTOBER    1st  NOVEMBER  2014HALIFAX  PLAYHOUSE

HALIFAX  AMATEURS  THEATRE  YOUTH    (HATY)    present

Box  Office  -­  01422  365998

www.halifaxplayhousehirers.ticketsource.co.uk

Chairman’s  message

Society  Officials

Do  you  want  to  sing,  Act  and  Dance,  work  backstage

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 and  excting  people?    Call  our  production  s

ecretary  on  01422  344319

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Chairman                   Geoff  CowgillTreasurer                 John  MullanBusiness  Managers         David  ‘LB’  Goodchild  &                           RICHARD  ARMSTRONGproduction  secretary     Laraine  cowgillminutes  secretary         alex  holroydSubscription  secretarySubscription  secretary     jane  MarescauxTicket  secretary           Karen  IllingsworthWardrobe  Managers         LARAINE  COWGILL  &                           NORMA  BATEMANMarketing  Team             Richard  Armstrong,  Geoff  Cowgill                           Neil  Hurst  &  David  ‘LB’  GoodchildLegaL  Advisors             Wilkinson  Woodward

 

General  Committee         Allen  Broadbent,  Peter  Brearley                           Neil  Hurst,  Rae  Laycock,                           Nuala  Smith  &  Yvonne  WhiteLADIES  COMMITTEE           Brenda  Birtwhistle,  Sheila  Lloyd                           Jackie  Lumb,  Caroline  Manders,                           Shirley  Mitchell,  Linda  SmithHonorary  Life  MembersHonorary  Life  Members     Ernest  Ainley,  Allen  Broadbent,                           Brian  Conyers,  Olga  Conyers,                           Dorothy  Fozzard,  Joyce  Gill,                           Jackie  Lumb,  Pauline  Robinson,                           Margaret  Washington                            

WELCOME TO 1962The average house price is £2,670The average annual salary is £799

A loaf of bread was 4.5d and a pint of beer was 11.5d

‘West Side Story’ wins Academy Award for Best Picture

The Beatles release their first record – ‘Love Me Do’

The Rolling Stones make their debut performance

BBC first airs ‘University Challenge’

Brazil wins the World Cup

By WZZT’s Roving Reporter‘Tricky’ Dicky Armstrong

Almost a century after slavery was abolished, 1960’s America society was still deeply driven by racism. The racial segregation we see in The Corny Collins Show or that which is implicated in Velma Von Tussles horror of an ‘integrated’ swimming pool, give a glimpse into some of the types the racism that existed. Indeed 63% of Americans disagreed with the outlawing of segregation on public transport - a law that in the southern states, where the Ku Klux Klan werewere prevalent was flagrantly ignored! Five years earlier the army had gone into Little Rock to escort black teenagers to school after segregation in schools was outlawed.

‘Hairspray’ is not first musical to touch on race relations. Given the show is a 21st century incarnation, unlike musicals such as ‘Showboat’ (1927) or ‘South Pacific’ (1949), its offers a retrospective commentary on American culture of a particular era, rather than a critique of current socio-political culture. John Walters, the author of the original film, made no secret of the fact that ‘The Corny Collins Show’ was based on ‘The Buddy Deane Show’ which in thethe late 50’s and early 60’s was an essential viewing for Baltimore’s teenagers. In actual fact the conclusion of Act Two (and the end of the original film) is Walters own version of the event in 1964 that led to the cancellation of ‘The Buddy Deane Show’.

Corny Collins is modelled on Buddy Deane, a DJ who moved into television and became one of the first to spot the potential of ‘rock and roll’. His TV show, which is recreated in the musical, albeit with increased campness, colour and energy, ran for 150 minutes six times a week for seven years. It would feature local dancers bopping to the hits of the day and would make locallocal stars of its teenage feature dancers – the regulars of whom would be known as ‘the committee (in our show ’the council’). Walters recalled that some of the first people he regarded as ‘celebrities’ would be his playground peers who appeared on the show. Because of racial segregation only white dancers would be allowed to perform except for every second Friday, wherewhere black dancers would appear and the show would be co-hosted by a black DJ. In 1963 a group of teenagers of all colours stormed the studio during a live broadcast on a ‘black Friday’ (where many of the audience belonged to the Baltimore Area Youth Opportunities Unlimited (BAYOU) group).

The youngsters started dancing together, to a reaction of in some quarters of outrage and in others bemusement. As the show was broadcast ‘live’ nothing could be done and this mixed race ‘dance in’ was beamed to homes across the east coast, inin all its glory. Many suspect this was the reason the show was cancelled the following year.

Its would be easy to trivialise the plotline of the show connected with integration – but for all the big hair do’s, high octane dancing, and gloriously camp fun that the show delivers us; it skilfully avoids being patronising or condescending with regard to the subject.subject. The big 11’ o’clock number in the show, traditionally reserved for the lead, is in fact delivered not by Tracey, but by Motor mouth and is a subtle but important nod to the racial integration plotline.

The  Buddy  Deane  Show

Racism  in  theatre

This is a relatively ironic message for a hit musical & blockbuster film, given Broadway and Hollywood’s obsession over size – especially for female performers. Can you name any other musicals where the leading lady is size-plus? Or Hollywood Blockbusters where the romantic female lead is anything other than a supermodel in terms of physique.

But,But, at its core, ‘Hairspray’ is fun & fast-paced, with big tunes, wonderful dance numbers, has gags by the bucket-load, and a great big heart to it. It continued Broadways re-found love for musical comedy – kick-started by ‘Crazy For You’, developed by ‘The Producers’, which became so important keeping the Great White Way going in the years post-9/11. ‘Hairspray’ was the first hit show after that horrendous day, as Americans embraced its spirit of hope.

TheatreTheatre can take the guise of many different forms – but no matter which era we live in, there will always been a place for unapologetic escapist joy. ‘Hairspray’ is therefore about celebration of the best of American values – diversity and inclusion, & the power of the individual of change things. However, its cunningness is also to be about the notion that these values are in many ways, subversive.

After an out-of-town tryout in Seattle, ‘Hairspray’ opened at the Neil Simon theatre in New York in August 2002 with a cast led by Harvey Fierstein as Edna, (and also notably launching the Broadway career of the now Glee star Matthew Morrison as Link). The reviews were ecstatic with the influential New York Times articulating that it was recreated the “old fashioned pleasures of musical comedy, without seeming old-fashioned”

ByBy the time it closed in January 2009, the show had amassed 2,642 performances- and currently resides as Broadways 18th longest running musical ever. It was also able to recoup its $10.5m investment within 9 months! At the 2003 Tony Awards the show garnered 8 awards including the coveted Best New Musical.

After opening in New York, it took until October 2007 for the show to hit London. Led by Michael Ball (as Edna), the cast also included Leanne Jones (as Tracy), Tracie Bennett (as Velma) and the late Mel Smith (as Wilbur). ‘Hairspray’ swept the Olivier Awards, being crowned as Best New Musical, as well as additional personal awards for Ball, Jones, and Bennett (a quadruple of awards mirrored at the What onstage Awards several months earlier).earlier). Hairspray ran for over 1,000 performances and 2½ years, before Ball returned to headline a sell-out UK tour.

Since opening on Broadway, aside from the UK, the show has been exported around the world from Argentina to Australia, and from Germany to Dubai (where Leanne Jones reprised the role as Tracey). In 2007 it was also made into a film, thereby completing a 360 degree journey from screen to stage back to the big screen. Whereas the original filmfilm was a ‘cult’ hit, the 2007 film musical was a big-budget multi-national blockbuster starring, amongst others, John Travolta & Michelle Pfeiffer.

‘Hairspray’ though is not about race relations, neither is it about a fat girl who has to slim down for get the guy, or about an ‘ugly duckling’ who blossoms into the high school belle; No, weight is not the most important thing about our heroine…..simply put, its not Tracey’s size which defines her. The very heart of ‘Hairspray’, and the reason we root for Tracey over Amber, is that it’s not appearances that matter is personalities (is there a better way to describedescribe Amber than when Tracey tells her that she has “cooties of the soul”??). It’s also easy to empathise with Tracey – who among us hasn’t, at some point, felt on the outside because they are or were, in some way, different – even if that difference only exists in our won head.

“You  Can’t  stop  the  beat”

From  Broadway...  to  the  world

Tickets £7.00The Wellington Rooms, Halifax, HX1 2LBTickets available from Laraine Cowgill on 07983 462138 or email lcowgill@ymail.com

Whitport Productions Present

“The Wellington Rooms Now

Annual Christmas Spectacular”

YULEBE SWELL

1902     Maritana1903     Bohemian  girl1903     Il  travatore  &  Maritana1905     The  Gondoliers1906     Dorothy1907     The  Sam  Singers19081908     Yeoman  Of  The  Guard1909     Les  Cloche  de  Cornville1910       Iolanthe1911       The  Gondoliers1912       Falka1913       Haddon  Hall1914       The  Mikado19151915       Princess  Ida1921       Yeoman  Of  The  Guard1922     The  Gondoliers1924     The  Mikado1925     Ruddigore1926     Lilac  Domino1927       The  Last  Waltz1929  1929       My  Lady  Frayle1930       Mercenery  Mary1931       Hit  the  Deck1931       Silver  Wings1933       The  Girl  Friend1934       The  Desert  Song1935       Sunny19361936     The  Belle  of  New  York1937        Mister  Cinders1938       Blossom  Time1939       Victoria  and  her  Hussar1946       Silver  Wing1946       The  Belle  of  New  York1947       The  Mikado1948  1948       Rose  Marie1949     Wildflower1950     Lilac  Domino1951       The  Girl  Friend1951       ‘51  Jubliee  Show1952        The  Arcadians1953        Bless  the  Bride19541954        The  Dancing  Years1955        Perchance  to  Dream1956        King’s  Rhapsody1957     Oklahoma!1958       Hit  the  Deck1959     Brigadoon1959     The  King  &  I  (Joint  HAOS  &  HLOS)

1961       Carousel1962     Love  From  Judy1963     Calamity  Jane  (British  Amateur  Premier)1964     Merrie  England1966       Oklahoma!1967     Die  Fledermaus19681968       Chrysanthemum1969       My  Fair  Lady1969       Cinderella1970       Night  in  Venice1971       Brigadoon1971       Aladdin1972       Waltzes  from  Vienna1972  1972       Babes  in  the  Wood1973       Fiddler  on  the  Roof1973       Dick  Whittington1974       Calamity  Jane1974       Goody  Two  Shoes1975       Song  of  Norway1975       The  King  &  I1976  1976       Kismet1976       Cinderella1977       My  Fair  Lady1977       Jack  &  the  Beanstalk1978       Die  Fledermaus1978       Ali  Baba  &  the  40  Thieves1979       Gigi1979  1979       Goldilocks  &  the  3  Bears1980       Irene1980       SinBad  the  Sailor1981       Fiddler  on  the  Roof1981       The  Wizard  of  Oz1982       Annie  Get  Your  Gun1983       Carmen1983  1983       Cinderella1984       Mack  &  Mabel1985       Le  Belle  Helene1985       Sweet  Charity1986       Oklahoma!1986       Chicago1987       Annie1987  1987       Salad  Days1988       Carousel1988       Applause1989       The  King  &  I1989       Dames  at  Sea1990       Seven  Brides  for  Seven  Brothers1990     Cabaret

1991       George  M1991       Little  Shop  of  Horrors1992     Hans  Anderson1992     Gypsy1993     Fiddler  on  the  Roof1993     The  Boyfriend19941994     The  Pirates  of  Penzance1994     the  Best  Little  Whorehouse  in  Texas1995     Red  Hot  &  Cole1995     Billy1996     Godspell1996     Sweet  Charity1997     Me  &  My  Girl19971997     Chicago1998     Crazy  for  You1998     The  Card1999     The  Sound  of  Music1999     Fame2000     Barnum2000     Mack  &  Mabel20012001     Annie2001     La  Cage  aux  Folles2002     42nd  Street2002     Sugar2003     Gigi2003     A  Funny  Thing  Happened  On  The  way  to  the  Forum2004     The  King  &  I20042004     The  Magic  of  Musicals2005     Oliver2005     The  Magic  of  Musicals2006     Titanic2006     The  Magic  of  Musicals2007     Jekyll  &  Hyde2007     The  Magic  of  Musicals20082008     The  Wizard  of  Oz2009     The  Producers2009     Rent2010     Disney’s  Beauty  &  the  Beast2010     Jesus  Christ  Superstar2011       Crazy  for  You2011       Chess20122012     Titanic2012     The  Sound  of  Music2013     Sweeney  Todd2013     Our  House2014     The  Witches  Of  Eastwick