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Excitement Mounts As Countdown To ‘Hairspray Live!’ Musical Begins [Video]

By Charisse Van Horn
Published on: 07:34 PST, Nov 19, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbgskQwiHE0PGND-hBfnFWJ_8XGEIje8V

NBC is bringing the Tony-winning musical Hairspray Live! to excited viewers in December. Following other live musical productions such as The Sound of Music Live!, Peter Pan Live!, and The Wiz Live!, Hairspray Live! is executive produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and promises to deliver the same level of high-quality, musical entertainment. Debuting on Dec. 7, 2016, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, the countdown begins as people nationwide are planning watch parties and premiere events. You may follow Hairspray Live! on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Share the excitement with the hashtag #HairsprayLive and check out behind-the-scenes videos on YouTube. You may see videos from the musical special in the video player above. You may view a Hairspray Live! promo video below.

https://youtu.be/aisbgm48Bx0

Hairspray Live! features the following phenomenal cast that includes numerous seasoned, Broadway veterans and musical talent. HarveyFierstein is a Tony-Award winning actor and playwright. In addition to his Broadway writing and acting credits, Fierstein served as a writer for Hairspray Live!, The Wiz Live! and will write for the upcoming NBC live musical starring Jennifer Lopez Bye Bye Birdie Live!. Disney fans will recognize Kristin Chenoweth and Dove Cameron from the musical TV special The Descendants. Maddie Baillio makes her stunning debut as Tracy Turnblad.

  • Maddie Baillio as Tracy Turnblad
  • Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad (Kinky Boots, Newsies, Casa Valentina, Torch Song Trilogy, La Cage aux Folles, A Catered Affair, Safe Sex, Legs Diamond, Spookhouse, and more.)
  • Martin Short as Wilbur Turnblad (Saturday Night Live, Little Me, The Goodbye Girl, Fame Becomes Me, It’s Only a Play, Merlin, The Martin Short Show, SCTV, Three Amigos, Inner Space, Three Fugitives, Clifford, Pure Luck, Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks, Father of the Bride, Father of the Bride Part II, Madagascar 3, Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That, Frankenweenie, and more.)
  • Dove Cameron as Amber Von Tussle (Liv and Maddie, The Descendants)
  • Kristin Chenoweth as Velma Von Tussle (Pushing Daisies, Promises, Promises, The Descendants, Wicked, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, Glee, On the Twentieth Century, Kristin Chenoweth: Coming Home, and more.)
  • Garrett Clayton as Link Larkin (Teen Beach Movie, Teen Beach Movie 2, The Fosters, Shake It Up, Jessie, and more.)
  • Billy Eichner as Rob Barker (Billy on the Street, Difficult People, The Angry Birds Movie, Neighbors 2: Sorority Uprising, Parks and Recreation, Bob’s Burgers, Creation Nation: A Live Talk Show, and more.)
  • Ariana Grande as Penny Pingleton (Victorious, Sam & Cat, Scream Queens)
  • Andrea Martin as Prudy Pingleton ( Pippin, My Favorite Year, Young Frankenstein, Oklahoma!, Candide, Noises Off, SCTV, My Big Fat Greek Life, Nurse Jackie, Difficult People, Andrea Martin Together Again, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Wag the Dog, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, and more.)
  • Shahadi Wright Joseph as Little Inez (The Lion King, School of Rock)
  • Derek Hough as Corny Collins (Dancing with the Stars, Make Your Move, Nashville, Radio City Music Hall’s Spring Spectacular, Footloose, Singin’ in the Rain, and more)
  • Jennifer Hudson as Motormouth Maybelle (American Idol, The Color Purple, Confirmation, Chi-Raq, Winnie Mandela, Dreamgirls, The Secret Life of Bees, Sex and the City: The Movie, and more.)
  • Ephraim Sykes as Seaweed J. Stubbs (Hamilton, Motown the Musical, Newsies, Memphis, The Little Mermaid, Vinyl, Smash, 30 Rock, and more)
  • Sean Hayes as Mr. Pinky (Will & Grace, Scrubs, 30 Rock, Up All Night, Parks and Recreation, Portlandia, Hot in Cleveland, Promises Promises, An Act of God, Damn Yankees, The Three Stooges, The Bucket List, Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss, Soul Men, and more.)
  • Rosie O’Donnell as the health education teacher (The View, Rosie Radio, A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, Another Stakeout, The Flintstones, Exit to Eden, Now and Then, Beautiful Girls, Harriet the Spy, Wide Awake, Grease, Seussical, Fiddler on the Roof, Love, Loss and What I Wore, No, No, Nanette, Taboo, MotherStruck! and more.)

In anticipation for the Dec. 7, Hairspray Live! premiere NBC announced that Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth (who appeared in Promises, Promises together on Broadway) will bring viewers on a behind-the-scenes tour called Countdown to Hairspray Live! The special show will air at 7:30 p.m. and precedes the 8 p.m. airing of Hairspray Live!

Are you looking forward to Hairspray Live! Are you going to watch the Countdown to Hairspray Live! as well?

[Featured Image by NBCUniversal (used with permission)]

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