I just cannot stand still!

I saw Hairspray again on Thursday. I just saw it last October in Baltimore (which, AWESOME), and when I saw that it would be coming to DC, I was like, "No no, I just saw it." Then I got half-price tickets.

It was just as awesome the second time. It's such a fun show. I cannot listen to "You Can't Stop the Beat" without wanting to dance. I'm considering learning the hand motions that go with the chorus. I am that big a dork when it comes to this. (Though I managed to stop myself from buying any merchandise.)

I caught some of the little things this time around (thanks, binoculars!). In "Welcome to the 60s," there's a hot dog vendor on stage, and I noticed that he's selling Esskay hot dogs, which is right on. And as the show goes on, Tracy learns a lot of the little hand motions and dance moves that come back in "You Can't Stop the Beat."

I also enjoyed watching Taylor Frey as Link. And not just because he's a cutie (which he is, but he's probably also 10 years younger than me). It's that it seemed like he has the same fair skin that I do; he was actually flushed after a lot of the dance numbers, which is kind of nice to see. It blows me away how the casts of these shows manage to sing, dance, and act at the same time (seriously, in my tap numbers, I have a hard time incorporating arm movements with the steps, much less try to remember the words--even to songs I already know), and you rarely see someone a bit pink after a big dance routine. So it was nice to see him a bit flushed.

The set was a bit smaller than I remember it being when I saw it in Baltimore, but the Warner Theater is tiny. Apparently some lines have been trimmed as well, but I don't know the book well enough to have noticed that. Unlike when I saw Les Mis a few years back, and noticed every line that they cut. (Including the entire "Drink With Me" reprise, which is just wrong.)

Still very fun. I enjoy the stage version more than the musical, but either is worth checking out.