Hairspray Live!

I think this was hard to do considering the other amazing movie version with Christopher Walken and John Travolta. On the other hand, Harvey Firestein is so cute as the mom, he kind of steals the show. I have no idea how he has such cleavage, but it is quite impressive. And Martin Short is adorable but just not Walken, you know. Jennifer Hudson is A-Freaking-mazing, of course. And Ariana Grande, well I had never heard her sing before today(because I'm apparently not that cool) but she did a great job.Costumes were pretty nice, and Rosie O'Donnell is actually bearable. I thought it was worth the watch. Yes there were some technical issues, however its live and therefore forgivable. Hardcore fans probably will notice the technical precision in which the dancers do their thing, the change in costumes on many of the originals etc. But the new costumes are really well done and, while different, are just as well done as the original. I had very few dislikes. Harvey was a little stiff, but he is not a young man. Ariana at the end was wearing heels that were way too high for the period, and it made her look a little kinky. Still love the shout out to Essex Community College. I graduated from Baltimore City Community College myself. Yeah! MobTown!!

7/10 is a pretty generous rating for Hairspray Live. There were definitely some mistakes, however it was mostly enjoyable.

Good casting choices: Maddie Baillio, Harvey Fierstein, Jennifer Hudson, Kristin Chenoweth, Ephraim Sykes, Derek Hough, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, and Shahadi Wright Joseph

While Baillio's vocals are outstanding, her dancing and acting are mediocre. Fierstein is unbeatable. Hudson overdoes "I Know Where I've Been" a tad (the rewrites in the song are unnecessary) however her vocals are incredible. Chenoweth has some issues with overdoing things too, but she's legendary. Sykes is wonderful as is Joseph. Short and Martin are both hilarious. Hough's vocals keep up with his dancing.

Bad casting choices: Ariana Grande, Dove Cameron, and Garrett Clayton

Grande is simply horrible in the role of Penny. She is an awful actress and her vocals are weak. If she's going to keep singing, she should stick to her pop music and move away from musical theatre. Cameron overdoes Amber. While Amber is supposed to be irritating, Cameron made her unbearable in a bad way. Her voice is much too nasal and it makes one want to mute the TV whenever she speaks. Her vocals aren't very good either. She should stick to Disney. Although Clayton has the Link Larkin look, he wasn't the best choice for this role. I think NBC tried too hard to cast actors a younger audience would be familiar with rather than trying to please the older audience, who are more likely to watch this anyway.

The camera angles and sound were poorly done. It almost seemed like there had been little to no rehearsal for the cameramen.

If you're looking for a musical and you're not too particular, this is perfect for you. If you're an "expert" in theatre and prefer a more professional production, go see this show onstage or find a better way to spend your time.

I still love every second of hairspray live from start to finish. Ariana Grande and dove Cameron are my most favorites of the whole cast. Those two should make couple of more together again!!!. songs I still wish that it had a cameo of john waters (director of the original movie) that wouldve Been perfect!. But I still love the movie exactly as it is. I was so happy for ariana for being part of this, I actually watched the original 1988 and the 2007 versions of hairspray just before this (2016) version premiered.

I give the 9/10.

With audio drop outs, shaky camera work, poor direction and a lead actress constantly out of breath and whose dancing was fair at best, this was difficult to watch. The frequency and length of commercial breaks was annoying. The stand out was Derek Hough. We all know he is a great dancer but the guy can sing too! During the bows at the end of the show, the director cut away just as Kristen Chenowith was about to come into camera view for her bow. Yikes! As a huge draw for the show, this goof was an insult to her and an example of the poor directing. NBC can't seem to pull off these live shows without some glaring mistakes.

The musicalized Hairspray has decent but derivative songs. The best of those songs are at the beginning, but even the lesser ones are enjoyable enough.

The performers are a mixed bag. Some are excellent, like Kristin Chenoweth, and Jennifer Hudson, but the lead is only serviceable as a singer, something thrown into sharp relief early on when she sings alongside the far better Dove Cameron and Ariana Grande.

Still, it's all fun and spritely, and while there seem to be some technical hiccoughs, particularly in regards to lighting, the overall effect is quite good.

Hairspray is not as memorable or original as the movie it came from, but it's got plenty of good moments. If you like musicals, this is worth a look.