‘Hairspray’ runs in Randolph Oct. 9 to 25
Plenty of people know the Tony-winning musical “Hairspray” for two reasons: The main character is a plus-size teenage girl who dreams of being a dancer on a TV show, and her mother is always played by a man in drag.
But Ray Gelpke, who is directing “Hairspray” at Brundage Park Playhouse in Randolph, has another take on the show, and it all comes down to black and white.
For Gelpke, the essence of the story is the fact that the show ends with Caucasian and African-American teens dancing exuberantly together.
“Some people feel that ‘Hairspray’ is all about Tracy,” says Gelpke. (He is referring to Tracy Turnblad, the big and big-hearted central character. Tracy’s goal is to dance on “The Corny Collins Show,” a TV program in 1962 Baltimore.)
“But that’s not really what this show is about,” he continues. “Tracy is the catalyst who brings together the blacks and the whites.”
The Brundage Park production of “Hairspray” opens tonight and runs through Sunday, Oct. 25.
“Hairspray” features a book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan based on the John Waters movie of the same name. Waters drew on his own youth in Baltimore; for example, “The Corny Collins Show” is based on that city’s “Buddy Deane Show.”
In Gelpke’s vision, the integration of “The Corny Collins Show” is the real issue. The key character is Motormouth Maybelle, an African-American woman who owns a record shop, and her big number, “I Know Where I’ve Been,” stops the show.
“That’s such a soulful song,” says Angela Selden of Flanders, who shares the role of Maybelle with Victoria Carroll of Somerville.
It is a song with a personal message for Selden. “I’ve been through a lot of trials and tribulations,” she says. “That song brings out a lot of emotion in me.”
“Hairspray” also gives Selden the chance to share the stage with her son, Jay Fowler of Roxbury. Fowler plays Seaweed, who falls in love with Penny (Alexis Rizzo of Wayne), Tracy’s best friend.
“Jay’s not a talker,” Selden says. “I get to see a side of him I don’t usually see.”
However, Gelpke stresses that he is not ignoring the story of Tracy – particularly since the character is being played by his daughter, Anna. He previously directed her in the same role at Cornerstone Theatre in Sussex County in 2014.
“Anna has grown more into the character of Tracy,” Gelpke says. “She just turned 17, and you reach an age when you understand more about the story. She’s able to do that, but she still has that certain innocence that Tracy needs.”
For her part, Anna Gelpke agrees with her father. “I feel more mature, and I understand the role more,” she says. “I understand what she’s going through. What I admire about Tracy is that she stands up for everything she believes in.”
Mark Carovale of Mine Hill, who dons a dress to play Tracy’s mother, Edna, makes another point about the appeal of “Hairspray”: The score – composed by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman - features lively, witty pastiches of 1960s pop and rock.
“The songs are up and peppy,” says Carovale, who is also costuming the show. “It’s a great time for the audience and the cast.”
Carovale says he has played female characters (such as the Queen of Hearts in “Alice in Wonderland”) on stage before, so he has no problem playing Edna. “It’s iconic having a man play the part,” he says.
But like the other performers, Carovale acknowledges the serious undercurrent amid the laughter and the songs. “This is a show about breaking the barriers,” he says.
Ray Gelpke says he hopes that audiences take that message to heart. “As a nation, we’ve gone far from 1962. But in other circumstances, we’re still back there. It seems there’s always a racial issue. There’s always someone being picked on.’
“I hope audiences that see the show appreciate the struggles that some people went through,” Gelpke concludes.
HAIRSPRAY
WHEN: Through Oct. 25.
WHERE: Brundage Park Playhouse,
2 Bungalow Lane (off Carrell Road), Randolph.
TICKETS: $20 ($15 for children under 12 and seniors over 62).
INFO: 973-989-7092 or
www.brundageparkplayhouse.org.