NORBURY Youth Theatre put on a perfect performance of Broadway classic Hairspray.
Kara Pugh as lovable lead Tracy Turnblad gave the show a lively start and followed it with a string of superb solos, including the opening number Good Morning Baltimore and I Can Hear the Bells. She won the crowd over within her first few lines.
Matthew Tennant got plenty of laughs as supportive dad and husband Wilbur Turnblad, Jack Brown was good as Link Larkin, Jess Blakemore put in a good performance as Penny Lou Pingleton and Leo Carl Abad excelled as Seaweed J Stubbs.
Laura Barnes was sound as Amber Von Tussle and Grace Davidson showed her vocal range as Motormouth Maybelle in everything she sang.
But Adam Blakemore stole the show as Edna Turnblad. Reminding me of a young Matt Lucas, not only did he have all the best lines but he also delivered them faultlessly, justifiably earning plenty of laugh out loud moments.
The Edna and Wilbur duet You’re Timeless To Me was absolutely hilarious and generated the largest applause and cheers of the evening.
The colourful costumes were amazing to see and the perfectly-timed choreography was a joy to watch.
The only thing in the whole show which could have been better was the microphone levels – the performers’ voices were sometimes drowned out by the excellent, but powerful, orchestra.
Overall this show provided a bright oasis amidst all the daily doom and gloom we seem to be facing at the moment.
It provided more than two hours worth of welcome escapism and, not only will it have you leaving the theatre with a warm glow and a spring in your step, you’ll be downloading the soundtrack, with all those catchy numbers, as soon as you get home.
The show runs until Saturday, December 1. Performances are at 7.30pm with a 2.30pm matinee on Saturday.
Full price tickets are £12 and concessionary tickets are £10 which can be found online at www.norburytheatre.co.uk.
Tickets can also be purchased by telephone on 01905 770154 or by visiting the box office.
