Drag superstar Nina West announces role in new touring production of ‘Hairspray’
Good morning, Baltimore… And the rest of North America!
A new North American tour of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman’s Tony Award-winning musical, Hairspray, will begin in the Fall of 2021, according to Playbill. The cast will be lead by RuPaul’s Drag Race superstar Nina West (aka Andrew Levitt) as Edna Turnblad, Niki Metcalf as Tracy Turnblad, and NBC’s The Voice‘s Toneisha Harris as Motormouth Maybelle.
The touring production, which is helmed by Jack O’Brien and Jerry Mitchell, will start performances on November 12 at The Capitol Theatre in Yakima, Washington. The official tour opening night will be on November 17 at Broadway San Diego’s Civic Theatre.
The show will visit more than 60 cities in its first touring season, and the score will include such popular tunes as “Good Morning, Baltimore,” “Big, Blonde, and Beautiful,” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” The musical features a book by Thomas Meehan and Mark O’Donnell.
“It is happening!! Thank you @playbill for the exclusive news!,” wrote Nina West in an announcement on Twitter. “I am heading out on the road this November in HAIRSPRAY!”
In a lengthier post on Facebook, Nina West said: “Mama! I’m A Big Girl Now! It is a dream come true to share the news that I will be hitting the road in November to tour the United States in Hairspray, and in the dream role of EDNA TURNBLAD!”
The original New York production of Hairspray won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The North American Tour of Hairspray is produced by NETworks Presentations.
Additional casting will be announced soon. Watch the three actors meet for the first time and talk about their roles on Playbill.com!
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