Hairspray At The Little Theatre, Leicester Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Sheridan Brown
It’s the morning after the opening night of Knighton Park Amateur Operatic Society’s brand-new production of Hairspray – and I still can’t get those show tunes out of my head! It was a full-on, uplifting, song-and-dance extravaganza – showcasing some truly great talent. We both absolutely loved it!
The production has opened for a five-night run at The Little Theatre in Leicester – a perfect venue for this iconic Grammy Award winning show. Directed by Joshua Taylor-Williams, Hairspray tells the story of Baltimore teenager Tracy Turnblad (Ellie Barratt), whose only wish is to dance on TV’s ‘Corny Collins Show’. With the help of her new friends in the school detention room, she is catapulted into TV stardom. But Baltimore is still in the grip of mid-20th century American racial prejudice – and folks from different communities are forbidden from dancing together on TV. Tracy thinks this is absurd, and vows to make a change …
The Little Theatre, operated by Leicester Drama Society, enjoys visits from more than 30,000 visitors a year. As well as a main auditorium and studio spaces, it offers opportunities for education and theatrical development – in all areas of theatre production. On our previous visit we had been in the Haywood Studio – but this production of Hairspray was in the main auditorium – which was an unexpectedly lovely space.
As we arrived, the foyer staff were incredibly helpful and attentive. We both commented on how enthusiastic all the staff were – and how much they made it their business to ensure were very well looked after. There was a pleasant, very reasonably-priced bar area for pre-show and interval drinks – and there was a lovely atmosphere as we waited for the auditorium to open.
As we took our seats (which were very comfortable) we took in the stage. We were presented with a simple stage with a simple but professionally produced backdrop with the ‘Hairspray’ logo. The audience was made up of a wide range of folk – young and old – and there was a real buzz in the audience. I suspected there may have been more than a few families and friends coming to support their loved ones in the show.
As the show opens, we are introduced to Tracy Turnblad, whose unbridled optimism is evident in her opening number Good Morning Baltimore. Tracy’s character is wonderfully brought to life by Ellie Barratt. Ellie’s performance was superb – she was on stage for the majority of the show – I was amazed how her voice and stamina held up! In fact, the whole company were amazing – delivering one after another high-energy dance routines (all choreographed by Jade Afflick-Goodall) at the same time as belting out banger after banger! An additional treat was that the show was supported by a live orchestra. Directed and conducted by Reece Crane, the brilliantly performed music added a lovely extra layer of ‘showbiz’ to the performance.
As well as the fabulous music and dancing, the production was crammed with some great characters. Hairspray is known for the role of Edna Turnblad – and the fact it is traditionally played by a man. In this production, Edna is played by performance veteran, Matt Brown. We were impressed with how Brown tackled the role of Edna in the show; she was played with subtlety and lots of humour. It might have been easy for Edna’s characterisation to tip over into pantomime dame – but there was not one hint of this. The chemistry between Edna and her husband Wilbur (played by Alex Thompson) was fabulous and their duet ‘You’re Timeless to Me’ had the audience bellowing with laughter.
There were several other performers who stood out to me – Lewis Shaw, who played Seaweed J Stubbs – for his smooth voice and moves to match, young Sophia Pirie – who played Little Inez – for her fabulous voice and confident stage presence (and not a small nod to Erica in ‘Stranger Things’). And finally Jade Afflick-Goodall, whose characterisation of Motormouth Maybelle oozed heart, soul and sass.
But for me (and in spite of the breadth of amazing talent on show) the star of the night was Natasha Ann Carr, who played Penny Pingleton. I couldn’t take my eyes off her! Her comic timing was superb and her goofy, abandoned characterisation was fresh and so funny. Whenever she was on stage, Carr was in the moment, rocking her character to the max. Simply glorious!
All in all, we had a fabulous night. Even though the show was brought to us as an amateur production – it was anything but amateur! Every single person brought their A-game and gave the audience a night to remember. The final number ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’ – performed with energy and enthusiasm by the whole company – left us all dancing in our seats and crying out encore! I’m still humming the tune this morning!
It’s the morning after the opening night of Knighton Park Amateur Operatic Society’s brand-new production of Hairspray – and I still can’t get those show tunes out of my head! It was a full-on, uplifting, song-and-dance extravaganza – showcasing some truly great talent. We both absolutely loved it!
The production has opened for a five-night run at The Little Theatre in Leicester – a perfect venue for this iconic Grammy Award winning show. Directed by Joshua Taylor-Williams, Hairspray tells the story of Baltimore teenager Tracy Turnblad (Ellie Barratt), whose only wish is to dance on TV’s ‘Corny Collins Show’. With the help of her new friends in the school detention room, she is catapulted into TV stardom. But Baltimore is still in the grip of mid-20th century American racial prejudice – and folks from different communities are forbidden from dancing together on TV. Tracy thinks this is absurd, and vows to make a change …
The Little Theatre, operated by Leicester Drama Society, enjoys visits from more than 30,000 visitors a year. As well as a main auditorium and studio spaces, it offers opportunities for education and theatrical development – in all areas of theatre production. On our previous visit we had been in the Haywood Studio – but this production of Hairspray was in the main auditorium – which was an unexpectedly lovely space.
As we arrived, the foyer staff were incredibly helpful and attentive. We both commented on how enthusiastic all the staff were – and how much they made it their business to ensure were very well looked after. There was a pleasant, very reasonably-priced bar area for pre-show and interval drinks – and there was a lovely atmosphere as we waited for the auditorium to open.
As we took our seats (which were very comfortable) we took in the stage. We were presented with a simple stage with a simple, but professionally produced backdrop with the ‘Hairspray’ logo. The audience was made up of a wide range of folk – young and old – and there was a real buzz in the audience. I suspected there may have been more than a few families and friends coming to support their loved ones in the show.
As the show opens, we are introduced to Tracy Turnblad, whose unbridled optimism is evident in her opening number Good Morning Baltimore. Tracy’s character is wonderfully brought to life by Ellie Barratt. Ellie’s performance was superb – she was on stage for the majority of the show – I was amazed how her voice and stamina held up! In fact, the whole company were amazing – delivering one after another high-energy dance routines (all choreographed by Jade Afflick-Goodall) at the same time as belting out banger after banger! An additional treat was that the show was supported by a live orchestra. Directed and conducted by Reece Crane, the brilliantly performed music added a lovely extra layer of ‘showbiz’ to the performance.
As well as the fabulous music and dancing, the production was crammed with some great characters. Hairspray is known for the role of Edna Turnblad – and the fact it is traditionally played by a man. In this production, Edna is played by performance veteran, Matt Brown. We were impressed with how Brown tackled the role of Edna in the show; she was played with subtlety and lots of humour. It might have been easy for Edna’s characterisation to tip over into pantomime dame – but there was not one hint of this. The chemistry between Edna and her husband Wilbur (played by Alex Thompson) was fabulous and their duet ‘You’re Timeless to Me’ had the audience bellowing with laughter.
There were several other performers who stood out to me – Lewis Shaw, who played Seaweed J Stubbs – for his smooth voice and moves to match, young Sophia Pirie – who played Little Inez – for her fabulous voice and confident stage presence (and not a small nod to Erica in ‘Stranger Things’). And finally Jade Afflick-Goodall, whose characterisation of Motormouth Maybelle oozed heart, soul and sass.
But for me (and in spite of the breadth of amazing talent on show) the star of the night was Natasha Ann Carr, who played Penny Pingleton. I couldn’t take my eyes off her! Her comic timing was superb and her goofy, abandoned characterisation was fresh and so funny. Whenever she was on stage, Carr was in the moment, rocking her character to the max. Simply glorious!
All in all, we had a fabulous night. Even though the show was brought to us as an amateur production – it was anything but amateur! Every single person brought their A-game and gave the audience a night to remember. The final number ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’ – performed with energy and enthusiasm by the whole company – left us all dancing in our seats and crying out encore! I’m still humming the tune this morning!
Rating: 5/5
Dates: 18th November – 22nd November 2025
Tickets: from £19.00
Remaining shows are bookable here: https://thelittletheatre.co.uk/whats-on/hairspray-the-broadway-musical/