Hairspray Manila Internet Reviews

Hairspray director Bobby Garcia kindly allowed me to invite a small group of Internet writers and bloggers during the technical dress rehearsal before its Manila premiere.

Philippine Entertanment Portal Senior Editor Jocelyn Dimaculangan of Philippine Entertanment Portal or PEP was impressed with Hairspray lead Madel Ching as Tracy Turnblad, “The “pleasantly plump” girl is a bundle of energy and her performance level is impressive throughout the play. Mind you, performing energetic song-and-dance numbers for two hours is not an easy feat. Madel did a good job of building her stamina even towards the end of the play when she led the cast in singing “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” It seems like there is really no stopping this young girl from conquering the theater scene.”

Penny of Slvrthoughts Thoughts and Musings found the musical’s movie version Disneyfied, “Hairspray (the play) has many lewd and suggestive actions that actually make sense and fit in the story which are missing (or glazed over) in the movie. In my opinion, while this is a fun play, it should have a PG rating.”

Arvin Ello of The Intersections and Beyond was blown away by the set, lights and costumes, “One is flabbergasted at the set design of Hairspray, beaming with neon pink & blue colors. The lighting design is likewise impressive! The mobiles, the moving props and the costumes are superb and wonderfully made.”

Ecstatic Violet of My Shoe Closet thoroughly enjoyed her first Manila musical, “I was not disappointed. The cast was delightful and I can only say WOW to seeing Dulce and Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo perform on stage. Michael de Mesa in his woman role was very good. He pulled it off without a hair out of place. And oh! Can Nyoy Volante dance! I had a good laugh about some parts and I very much enjoyed the time that I spent watching.”

Dr. Fred Hawson of Fred Said was pleasantly surprised with Michael de Mesa’s performance as Edna Turnblad, “I honestly could not imagine Michael de Mesa as Edna Turnblad (Tracy’s mom) at first. But after the initial shock of seeing him in a fat suit and dowdy housedress, Mr. de Mesa definitely got into the groove of performing in drag. He is a scene stealer every time he appears on stage, and was especially funny with his various voice inflections.”

Even at a young age, Haley Hawson of I Am Ms. Haley Rabbit revealed a romantic streak, “My favorite part of the story is when Tracy was in prison, and Link and Tracy kiss. It is lovely.”

Joriben Zaballa of My Divine Refuge gives a tip about the Hairspray film and stage versions, “First of all, if you already watched the film version, don’t expect that they are really the same. The 2007 movie is completely different to the live version. Some songs are deleted in the movie’s final cut though they also included new songs. The stage version has so many things to offer to everyone including breathtaking dance moves and soulful song numbers.”

Hairspray Manila Shake & Shimmy Show Date
06 Dec 2008 2pm (Sat)

Hairspray Manila Shake & Shimmy Show Venue
Star Theater, CCP Complex, Manila

Hairspray Manila Shake & Shimmy Seatmap
Please click below. Available seats are colored WHITE. First come first served basis.
Seat Plan for the 06 December 2pm show

Hairspray Manila Shake & Shimmy Ticket Prices (inclusive of 3% surcharge for Ticketworld purchases):
Balcony Php 618 (Rows Y-Z)
Loge Php 824 (Rows T-X)
Upper Orchestra Php 1,030 (Rows J-S)
Lower Orchestra Php 1,236 (Rows A-I)

Hairspray Manila Shake & Shimmy Contact Details For ticket inquiries, please contact Ticketworld at 891.9999 or buy your tickets online at the Ticketworld website. All major credit cards are accepted.

Related Posts

Hairspray Manila Performance Photos
Hairspray Manila — A Sneak Peek During Rehearsals
Hairspray Manila Cast Shake and Shimmy
Joaquin Phoenix and Michael de Mesa Say Goodbye to Acting
Hairspray Broadway Ends on 04 January 2009