'Hairspray' brings humor, heart to turbulent time

For performer Michael Walker, taking on the role of Edna Turnblad is both a delight and a challenge.

Barely two weeks ago, Walker stepped into the role when Jerry O'Boyle, who had been playing Edna in the national touring production of "Hairspray," was sidelined with an injury.

It was a role Walker had played several times during his eight months as an understudy for the tour.

"This is so much more fun, because I get to discover new things every day," Walker says. "Mostly, it's the discovery of laughs -- the things that are funny that I didn't realize were funny. If you say something differently, you get a laugh."

Laughter plays a big role in "Hairspray," the musical comedy that won eight Tony awards in 2003, including the one for best musical.

The live stage version was adapted from John Waters' 1988 comedic film. Waters served as creative consultant for the musical, which features a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, a score by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman.

A second screen version, adapted from the stage musical, debuted last summer with John Travolta playing Edna.

All three versions are set in Baltimore in 1962, as the world is on the brink of changes brought about by youthful ideals and changing attitudes.

The story revolves around Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair, big dreams and a mind of her own. Despite her size, she loves to dance. When she wins a spot on a local TV dance show, she is transformed into a local celebrity.

Helped and supported by her mother, Edna, Tracy sets her big heart and even bigger ideals on attracting the attention of heartthrob Link Larkin and bringing racial integration to the cast of the Corny Collins Show.

"Everyone loves Tracy and her story," Walker says. "For me, the thing about this show, it's the relationship and the love the Turnblads have for one another. They are a family unit. ... It's about real people going through real struggles." Their motto, Walker says: "'Together, we will claw our way to the top.'"

People often are surprised by how funny "Hairspray" is, Walker says. "There's a lot of humor in the show. In addition, it's so much fun doing the dances from the '60s -- The Pony, The Swim. And ('Hairspray') does have heart. It has a message."

Jerry Mitchell's original choreography for the Broadway production provided an abundance of dance. And Danny James Austin, who re-created the choreography for the touring production, retains plenty of moves, Walker says.

"We do a lot of dancing. Most people walk away from the show saying, 'How did they do that?'" Walker says.

For Walker, the answer was lots of coaching and practice, because, in addition to learning the steps, he had to learn to do them in Edna's shoes, which have heels 3 or 4 inches high.

His coaches included one of the guys in the cast and one of the wardrobe people.

"They had to help me so I didn't look like a man. I want it to look natural," he says. "After a week, it became second nature."

The hardest part of the task turned out not to be steps in the choreography but those on flights of stairs he had to walk down.

Part of the problem was Walker needed some augmentation to become the full-figured Edna.

"Because I am wearing padding, I can't see my feet when I'm trying to walk down stairs," he explains. "It literally became a leap of faith."

A pop culture guide to 1962

"Hairspray," the musical based on John Waters' 1988 movie, is set in 1962.

There used to be a joke that those who remembered the '60s hadn't really experienced them. Nowadays, that includes a lot of people who hadn't yet been born.

Here's some insight into what the U.S. was like that year:

• In 1962, John F. Kennedy was president. By October, he had ended the Cuban missile crisis by getting the Russians to stand down. There was a conflict in Vietnam, but it still was flying under most people's radar.

• The Telestar I satellite made live trans-Atlantic television transmissions possible. TVs had dials but no remote controls, so you had to get out of your chair to change the channel. Cable access was decades away, so channel choices were limited to about a half-dozen. Television reception was enhanced not by cable lines but by roof-top antennas or rabbit-ear models augmented with wads of aluminum foil (ask your grandparents).

• Telephones also had dials, and they were hard-wired into the wall. Lacking cell phones, teenagers seeking privacy dragged the phone into a nearby closet or bathroom and shut the door.

• Ronald McDonald and the Filet-O-Fish sandwich were both a year away from making their first public appearance.

• Pittsburgh's Iron City Beer was test-marketing the first aluminum cans with tab openers, and Diet-Rite Cola had just introduced the general public to the first sugar-free soft drink.

• Women's hair was teased and puffed into beehives or wrestled into French twists and doughnut-like buns called chignons. Pantyhose was years away. Stockings and bodies were held in place by panty girdles and garters.

• On U.S. dance floors, young people of all ages were doing The Twist, The Pony, The Mashed Potato and The LocoMotion.

• Across the ocean in England, an obscure rock band called The Beatles had just signed a new drummer named Ringo Starr.

• Born in 1962 : Actor Matthew Broderick, "Good Eats" host Alton Brown, singer Sheryl Crow, actor Tom Cruise, U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart, musician Jon Bon Jovi, comic and Daily Show anchor Jon Stewart

• Died in 1962: Poet e.e. cummings, author William Faulkner, actress Marilyn Monroe, former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and gangster Lucky Luciano

• Average annual Income: $5,556

• Costs: Hershey bar, 5 cents; First Class postage, 4 cents; The New York Times daily paper, 5 cents; full-size Chevrolet, $2,529; gallon of gasoline, 31 cents; McDonald's double hamburger, 28 cents; average new house, $12,500

• New books: "Silent Spring" by Springdale native Rachel Carson, "Another Country" by James Baldwin, "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess, "Travels With Charley" by John Steinbeck

• Hit movies: "Dr. No," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Lawrence of Arabia," "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane," "The Music Man," "That Touch of Mink"

• Television shows: Johnny Carson succeeded Jack Parr as host of "The Tonight Show," Ronald Reagan was hosting the final season of "General Electric Theater," and almost everyone seemed to be watching "The Beverly Hillbillies," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Bonanza," "Perry Mason" or "The Ed Sullivan Show."

• Shows on Broadway: "A Man for All Seasons," "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," "Carnival," "No Strings," "The Night of the Iguana," "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"

• Music: "Moon River," "The Days of Wine and Roses," "Monster Mash," "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," "If I Had a Hammer," "Ramblin' Rose," "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer," "Big Girls Don't Cry"

Additional Information:

'Hairspray'

Presented by: PNC Broadway Across America -- Pittsburgh

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. March 20, 8 p.m. March 21, 2 and 8 p.m. March 22

Admission: $20.50-$62

Where: Heinz Hall, Sixth Street at Penn Avenue, Downtown

Details: 412-392-4900 or online