Hairspray

The Alhambra

Welcome to the Sixties!

Feelgood show Hairspray is in town - and it's fabulous.

The year is 1962 and Baltimore is waking up to a new dawn. Like all the kids in her downtown neighbourhood, Tracy Turnblad is hooked on TV's Corny Collins Show and dreams of joining its regular troupe of young dancers. But these are pretty girls and cute guys - and when Tracy turns up to audition, villainous producer Velma Von Tussle makes it clear that the tubby teen isn't Corny Collins material.

Based on John Waters' 1988 cult movie, re-made in 2007 with a sprinkling of saccharine, Hairspray is a lively, warm-hearted show with a message. Set against America's civil rights movement, it's a celebration of freedom, expression and "integration, not segregation".

Just as Tracy suffers prejudice because of her appearance, Baltimore's black youngsters are faced with the colour segregation that seeps through high school to TV's teen dance show.

Beneath the chirpy gloss of the Corny Collins Show lies an unsettling reminder of the times, with black kids forced to dance at the back when the cameras roll. When Tracy breaks onto the show and proves a hit, toppling spoilt brat Amber Von Tussle's Miss Hairspray crown, she uses her celebrity status to speak out for racial equality - and along the way wins the heart of local dreamboat, Link Larkin.

This revised production is hugely entertaining and races along at a cracking pace. Paul Moore's set, jumping from the Turnblads' poky living-room to the shimmering Corny Collins studio, evokes the feel of a smalltown community wrapped up in changing times. In director Paul Kerryson's safe hands, this is a feelgood family show, but never losing sight of John Waters' original quirks.

A first-class cast is led by Freya Sutton, delightful as Tracy, whose infectious optimism embraces the show. The biggest cheers of the night went to Tony Maudsley and Peter Duncan who stole our hearts as Tracy's loveable parents, Edna and Wilbur. In the wrong hands Edna could be just a larger-than-life drag act, but she's a shy, insecure woman who hides behind a pile of ironing until Tracy pulls her into the world - and Tony played her beautifully. Peter was fabulous as endearing Wilbur, urging his daughter to grab a slice of the 60s. Tony and Peter's vaudeville-style duet You're Timeless to Me was a highlight of the show.

Great performances too from Monique Young as a scene-stealing Penny Pingleton, Claire Sweeney as Velma Von Tussle, a hilarious Godzilla of a pushy mom, and Brenda Edwards who, as Motormouth Maybelle, was more than a match for Queen Latifah.

By the time Freya and the gang were belting out You Can't Stop the Beat, the delighted audience was on its feet. A terrific show.

Runs until Saturday.