Today, producers Mark Goucher, Matthew Gale and Laurence Myers are delighted to announce further dates for Hairspray The Musical major UK and Ireland tour. The tour will open in Manchester in July 2027 and travel the UK and Ireland until April 2028.
The production will hold open auditions in London later this month on Monday 26 October for the following roles: Motormouth Maybelle, Seaweed, Little Inez, Dynamites and The Motormouth Kids (18 and over). Submissions for the open auditions should be made by sending a CV and headshot to auditions@markgoucher.com by Friday 23 October.
Katie Brace will reprise the role Tracy Turnblad, joining previously announced Neil Hurst, who will also return to the role of Edna Turnblad. Also previously announced Paul Kerryson and Brenda Edwards (Loose Women, ITV; Paddington The Musical, Savoy) will return to direct the production. The show will also be choreographed by Olivier Award winner Drew McOnie.
This iconic musical comedy features some of musical theatre’s best hit songs including 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. Hairspray The Musical will play at Norwich Theatre Royal 17 – 22 January 2028. The show is going on sale to general public on 30 October 2026.
Completing the creative team is 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, Casting by Grindrod Burton, Associate Director Juliet Gough, Associate Choreographer Shaquille Brush and Wigs, Hair and Make-up Design by Craig Forrest-Thomas.
After breaking box office records and delighting audiences in the West End, on Broadway and on the big screen since 1988, the timeless story of 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?
Hairspray is a 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. Proving to be an international success, Hairspray has also played in South Africa, Japan, South Korea, China and Dubai. Following the musical’s phenomenal success on stage, a film of the musical was released in 2007 which starred John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer and James Marsden.
Hairspray is produced by Mark Goucher, Matthew Gale, and Laurence Myers.
