5-Star Theatricals’ ‘Hairspray’ Teases Big Dreams & Bigger Beats

5-Star Theatricals’ exuberant take on Hairspray, which is dazzling audiences at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center’s Scherr Forum Theatre in Thousand Oaks through Sunday, October 26th, bursts onto the stage like a supernova, igniting with the sassy, soulful spirit of 1962 Baltimore.

Directed by Tony Award luminary Marissa Jaret Winokur — Broadway’s original Tracy Turnblad — this rendition of the show surpasses the last major production of Hairspray in SoCal at the Dolby Theatre in 2023. One major reason is its genuineness wrapped in a toe-tapping, heart-lifting spectacle that is bold and infectious, never letting up on Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman’s punchy anthems. Not to mention, the production is framed by charmingly vibrant visuals which contribute to a jubilant celebration of dance, dreams, and defiance against division.

For those yet to groove to Hairspray’s beat (or who haven’t caught John Waters’ enjoyably offbeat 1988 film or Adam Shankman’s popular 2007 offering), the musical follows Tracy Turnblad, a plucky, plus-size teen with a heart as big as her bouffant and a mission to shake up the segregated airwaves of The Corny Collins Show. Ultimately, her goal is for whites and Blacks to simply dance together in a display of culture-changing racial harmony. The narrative of rock ‘n’ roll rebellion and familial warth comes through palpably thanks to book writers Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan who weave their still-timely nuggets of wisdom into “Good Morning Baltimore,” “Welcome to the ’60s,” and the roof-rattling “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” which explode in the Scherr Forum’s cozy, sound-hugging space, where every shimmy and shout communicates an intense joie de vivre by a cast who is ultra-clutch.

Winokur’s direction is a love letter to the role that launched her, infusing every scene with a fizzy authenticity that keeps the pace sublime and snappy. Choreographer Clarice Ordaz captures the revolutionary ’60s dance crazes with electrifying routines. Anthony Lucca’s orchestra, a tight-knit crew of brass and rhythm, pumps out Shaiman’s score with a swagger that makes each chord and horn sound extra lush.

The stage itself underscores the era: brick-reminiscent panels with light-up windows, borrowed from San Antonio-based scenic designer Javier Sanchez, greet observers before transitioning to record shops and the professional WYZT studio, enhanced by Alex Choate’s props such as Collins’s vintage microphone. Brandon Baruch’s lighting bathes the action in a glow of hot pinks, electric turquoises, and golden ambers, transforming dance sequences into a canvas of color. Tanya Apuya’s costumes exemplify period perfection — dresses glamorous and shimmering, with Luis Martinez’s wigs stacked sky-high.

Lexie Martin owns Tracy Turnblad with a megawatt smile and a voice that is as sweet as it is impressive — her vivacity turning “Good Morning Baltimore” into the ideal opening number. Brushing off snide jabs, Tracy channels every ounce of pluck into a fantasy-becomes-reality romance with Bobby Hogan’s Link Larkin — a crooning hearthrob who effortlessly makes Tracy swoon. “It Takes Two” highlights Hogan’s teen-idol lilt who believably conveys his own dilemma tied to aspirations of success.

Tracy’s parents anchor the chaos with warmth and wit. Ryan O’Connor’s Edna Turnblad is a drag delight, morphing from blue-collar laundress to a woman who embraces her worth. Where O’Connor really leaves an impression, however, is through the use of occasional ad-libbing with Travis Joe Dixon’s Wilbur, his onstage husband, as the two make each other and the audience uncontrollably laugh and heartily smile during “(You’re) Timeless to Me.” Additionally, Dixon’s earnest delivery grounds the quirky Har-De-Har Hut proprietor, who makes for quite the supportive dad to Martin’s Tracy.

Garrett Clayton, after wowing audiences in 2016 as Link in Hairspray Live! on NBC, returns but this time as the charismatic Corny Collins who looks as slick as he sounds, particularly with “Nicest Kids in Town,” setting the stage ablaze and anchoring a premise that gets to the next level because of his character’s live-and-in-color television platform. What’s also fascinating is that Clayton gets to evince his versatility yet again, proving he can be serious, comedic, or even something in between.

Jennifer Leigh Warren’s Motormouth Maybelle, a rhyming Mother Hen character, steals breaths as the show’s moral heartbeat, her soul-stirring “I Know Where I’ve Been” reaching impossible heights as Warren digs deep into her reserves to hush a spellbound audience. Alexander J. Brown’s Seaweed J. Tubbs is a firebrand with hip moves and an indefatigable vocal roller coaster of dynamism in “Run and Tell That,” his flirty vibe with Hannah Sedlacek’s Penny Pingleton adding a layer of giddy romance. Sedlacek, a Pepperdine graduate and a top pick for any casting agent, garners the most laughs per line as the gawky and spazzy best friend to Tracy who sees her final transformation from nerd to stunner in the climactic number — an “on-air” revolt that is undoubtedly an adrenaline-pumper.

The antagonists are as antithetical as the protagonists are intentional in their hopes of racial integration: Becky Lythgoe’s Velma Von Tussle slinks through “(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs” with villainous poise as she snarls and sings with a smoky tone that feels robust enough to be reckoned with. Logan Eliza, one of the company’s best singers, infuses her pouty and entitled Amber Von Tussle with oodles of spoiled-brat sensibility that threaten to usurp the title of “Miss Teenage Baltimore” from Tracy.

Rachel McLaughlin’s Prudy Pingleton, all prim and conservative piety, hilariously unravels as her attempts at righteous repression spontaneously combust. McLaughlin, too, satisfyingly disappears into the humorously creepy gym teacher and the autocratic prison matron who demands unilateral order. Her male counterpart and jack of trades, Michael Baker, goes the extra mile, too, as the obsequious and awkward Mr. Spritzer, the chest-clutching Principal of Patterson Park High, and the effervescently excited Mr. Pinky.

The ensemble members are strong enough that any one of them could have been leads and nobody would have questioned it. The “Corny Kids” — John Candelaria (IQ), Luc Clopton (Fender), Wyatt Larrabee (Sketch), Madison North (Shelley), Brody Tarrant Sitton (Brad), Charlotte Scally (Tammy), Irelynn TerraNami (Lou Ann), and Amy Smith (Brenda, Dance Captain) — move like a well-oiled unit, their precision giving every group number added pizzaz and oomph.

Furthermore, backing the African Americans’ efforts for racial equality are Christian Tyler Dorey (Duane) who earns oohs with mid-air splits, Matthew Smith (Gilbert) who moves with fervent abandon, and Almand Martin Jr. (Thad) who performs with an explosive and preternatural crispness, earning him the distinction of most standout dancer.

Last, but not least, Dynamites Rezia Landers (Shayna), Luz Rodríguez (Kamilah), and Dara Adedara (Judine) bowl over with silky and spicy vocals, while Malia Johnson’s Little Inez exudes a virtuous and uncorrupted exhilaration.

Overall, 5-Star Theatricals’ Hairspray leaves one buzzing, swept up in its intrepid characters and their fight to dance past prejudice. In a world still wrestling with walls, its message of inclusion, wrapped in a whirlwind of retro riffs and fantastic hair, hits harder than ever. Even better, it helps that Winokur’s vision is true to the source material, delivering an all-hands-on-deck triumph. Don’t miss this buoyant musical-theater confection with an uplifting message that lingers alongside a beat that doesn’t stop after the curtain drops.