'Hairspray,': Big hair and a big show

Nothing beats high school theater on a Monday night! SCH Academy's production of Hairspray was postponed to this past Monday the 16th, due to inclement weather. Despite the challenges the cast and crew faced, they put on a fabulous performance.

Hairspray is a big show, in more ways than one. It requires a large cast with high energy talent, and its storyline revolves around equality – a heavy theme for such an upbeat musical. Springside Chestnut High Academy boldly took the challenge of this huge, tony award winning production, and did so with poise and grace.

SCH Academy's performance of Hairspray was anchored by the cast's incredible chemistry. Many of the characters' connections seemed genuine, especially between Penny (Avery Nunn) and Seaweed (Joshua Clarke). Every actor from the leads to the ensemble kept the same level of interactive harmony throughout the show, keeping it believable and entertaining to the audience.

Karah Barrist as Tracy Turnblad, the female lead, played her role beautifully. Other leads, Link Larkin (Jack Allison) and Edna Turnblad (John Funchion) performed well and true to their characters. Maya Jones was a soulful star as Motormouth Maybelle, giving the production a little bit of an edge.

The supporting cast, including Avery Nunn and Arimida Flores, was the mainstay to production, providing necessary upbeat singing and dancing to the high-energy show. In some cases, however, the big musical numbers seemed inhibited, and could have been more enthusiastic.

At times, low volume proved problematic, but many actors were able to project their voices audibly. The lighting was well executed, and seamlessly coupled the performers throughout the production. An exciting aspect of the production were the video cameras linked to televisions by the stage during "on air" scenes of the show.

All in all, the cast and crew of Springside Chestnut Hill Academy put on a great performance of Hairspray, and their work is something to be proud of.