The new tour will open at the Manchester Palace Theatre in July 2027.
It has been announced by producers Mark Goucher, Matthew Gale and Laurence Myers that Hairspray the Musical will embark on a brand new UK tour next year.
This is the second time that Brenda Edwards (Loose Women, ITV; Paddington The Musical, Savoy) and Paul Kerryson’s production will be heading out on tour.
The tour is set in Manchester at the Palace Theatre on 2 July until 19 July 2027 before travelling to Glasgow Kings Theatre (20-25 July), Edinburgh Playhouse (27 July – 1 August), Cardiff Wales Millenium Centre (3-7 August), Dublin Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (9-14 August), Belfast Grand Opera House (16-21 August), Southend Cliffs Pavilion (24-29 August), New Wimbledon Theatre (31 August – 4 September) Liverpool Empire (13-18 September), Bradford Alhambra Theatre (20-25 September), Sunderland Empire (27 September – 2 October), Milton Keynes Theatre (4-9 October), Malvern Theatres (11-16 October), Birmingham Hippodrome (25-30 October), York Grand Opera House (1-6 November), Leicester Curve (8-13 November), Brighton Theatre Royal (15-20 November), Woking Theatre (22-27 November) and Bristol Hippodrome (10-15 January 2028).
In addition, it has been announced that Neil Hurst will return to play the iconic role of Edna Turnblad in the musical comedy which includes songs such as: Welcome To The 60s, You Can’t Stop The Beat and Good Morning Baltimore by Academy Award, Tony and Emmy winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Further casting has yet to be announced.
Brenda Edwards who has previously played Motormouth in three tours of Hairspray, said: “I am so thrilled that this wonderful musical is returning to cities across the UK as it holds a very special place in my heart! I had so much fun making my directorial debut as a co-director with Paul Kerryson first time round. The show’s story and themes continue to remain as relevant as ever and I cannot wait to share this vibrant new production of this timeless musical with even more people.”
Hairspray centres around heroine Tracy Turnblad, who has big hair, a big heart, and big dreams to dance her way onto national TV, and into the heart of teen idol Link Larkin. When Tracy becomes a local star, she is able to use her newfound fame to fight for liberation, tolerance, and interracial unity in Baltimore. But can she win equality – and Link’s heart – without denting her ’do?
The musical based on the 1988 film of the same name which starred Divine and Ricki Lake by cult filmmaker John Waters. With music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman Marc Shaiman and book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, the stage production of Hairspray originally opened to rave reviews on Broadway in 2002 and subsequently won eight Tony Awards. The production opened in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2007 and won four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical.
This production’s creative team includes: Set and Costume Design by Takis, Lighting Design by Philip Gladwell, Sound Design by Ben Harrison, Musical Supervising and Arrangement by Ben Atkinson, Musical Direction by Richard Atkinson, Projection Design by George Reeve, Casting by Grindrod Burton, Associate Director Juliet Gough and Associate Choreographer Shaquille Brush.
To find out more visit: https://hairspraymusicaltour.com/