Hairspray At The Alhambra Theatre Bradford Review

DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW

Reviewed by Anna Wood

I had the amazing opportunity to go and see Hairspray at The Alhambra Theatre in Bradford and what a fantastic experience it was. The theatre is located in the city centre and is only a short walk away from the train station. We decided to drive as we found a car park online that allows you to stay for up to 24 hours for just £1.50 which is extremely good value and it was only a 10 minute walk away from the theatre. There are plenty of shops and restaurants nearby too so if you plan your visit right, you could make a day of it.

We were greeted by some friendly staff members upon arriving at the theatre who advised us where to go to collect our tickets. As we arrived a little early, the doors hadn’t opened yet so we decided to get a drink from the bar. This does get very busy though so if you don’t get there early enough, you may find that you will need to stand as there aren’t that many seats. I was pleasantly surprised at how reasonably priced the drinks were as we ordered a coffee and a soft drink which cost under £5!

We were seated on the ground level towards the middle so we couldn’t have asked for better seats and the fact that they are tiered means that we had a fantastic view and didn’t need to worry about somebody tall sitting in front of us. There was a 20 minute interval half way through which was more than enough time for a drink and toilet break.

Hairspray is an American musical set in Baltimore, Maryland and is based on the film which was released in 1988. Tracy Turnblad (Katie Brace) is the main character with big hair who dreams of dancing on The Corny Collins Show, a local TV programme. Her dream becomes reality one day and she is transformed into a star. Tracy dances with African-American students after meeting them in detention and her mission is to integrate The Corny Collins Show which she later succeeds in. There is some drama along the way when Tracy is faced with scrutiny and bullying from Velma (Joanne Clifton), the network producer and her malicious daughter but that certainly doesn’t stop Tracy from starting a romantic connection with Link Larkin (Solomon Davy), a main member of the dance TV show.

There was one particular scene starring Tracy’s parents, Edna (Neil Hurst) and Wilbur (Dermot Canavan) which was hilarious and had the audience in stitches although there was a bit of adult humour in there which children might not have understood. I think all of the cast played their characters very well and the singing was outstanding. Hearing the live orchestra just made the musical extra special too.

The final song ‘You can’t stop the beat’ had the audience up on their feet and everyone was singing along. I would definitely suggest going to see Hairspray at any given opportunity. I went with my partner who isn’t the biggest musical fan but he absolutely loved it and even said he would go see it again. The whole audience then gave a standing ovation at the end and the atmosphere was brilliant which was a sign of a fantastic show!

Rating: 5/5

Ticket prices: £17.75-£49.75

Hairspray is on at The Alhambra from Monday 25th-Saturday 30th November 2024.

Tickets can be purchased here:
https://www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/whats-on/hairspray#ticket-listing

The Alhambra Theatre, Morley Street, Bradford, BD7 1AJ