Hairspray's Tracey

Nope - this skinny person was cast as Tracey before rehearsals began. It will be interesting to see whether they use a fat suit or whether they'll ask the actor to gain some weight! - which would be a mighty task with all that dancing burning up the calories as soon as they're consumed!
I personally think it's an insult to the show to cast someone thin and there should be a clause in the performing rights to stop thin people taking this role away from big girls.

• reply
• -2 votes

So how does the message get across if the person playing Tracy looks like everyone else on the stage?? If she isn't going to be large surely she'd have to have a big nose or a birth mark on her face or something noticabley different? But I believe the writers of the show meant for Tracey to be a large girl (there are several references to her size in the show) - so she HAS to either BE a large girl or LOOK like a large girl. Would the show work at all if the 'best person suited to the role' of Tracy or even one of the Council Members was black - I think there would be quite a bit of confusion there don't you think?

• reply
• 3 votes

I don’t believe anyone would audition for Tracey in Hairspray if they have NO talent! So how about his scenario – two girls are in the running for the role of Tracey – one a size 20 and the other a size 8. The size 8 girl sings like and angel and is an outstanding dancer. The size 20 girl has a great voice, dances well and has a lot of potential. Do you go for the one with the most talent and then have to either fool the audience with a fat suit (I think you can get away with that with Edna – but Tracey??) or confuse them with a skinny lizzy playing someone everyone is calling fat (can you image what that will do to the psyche of those young kids who make up the majority of a Hairspray audience!) or do you go for the one the audience will instantly recognise and you can work with to ‘bring out’ the best talent? Sometimes it’s about the ‘best fit’ for the role (no pun intended) and not the most talent. I bet none of the black or dark skinned people who auditioned for the numerous productions of Hairspray this year were cast as Velma, Corny, Amber or any of the Council Members so why shouldn’t the role of Tracey be treated the same and only be played by a larger girl?

• reply
• 0 votes

Yeah, the writers who write musicals for a living (sound of cash registers) make a good point. (receipt printing) ;-p

• reply
• 7 votes

I doubt that you have seen the Tracey I initially referred to because that production of Hairspray has not been staged yet. And I think you are underestimating the fitness of some larger size people. You have probably not attended a Dance School concert of late – they are full of hefty lasses keeping up (and sometimes out performing) the slimmer dancers! I am not a performer – far from it – I stick to the dark recesses of prompt corner – but I am a larger girl and as a larger girl I am offended when a non-fatty sings ‘this heavy-weight champion takes the prize’ – it’s just NOT RIGHT! The extraordinarily talented larger girls of the musical theatre world have lingered in the ensemble for far too long – at last a musical has come along that is MADE for them – but you skinny people want to take that to – using the old ‘Hairspray is all about accepting people for who and what they are’. If that were true we should be seeing fat Velma Von Tussle’s, Indian Corny Collins', Chinese Link Larkin’s and even female Edna Turnblads! If those are out there please let me know - I'd love to see that show!

• reply
• 4 votes

Please forgive me for the delay in posting this reply – I have been busy living my life.
Firstly - having no talent means I have to stick to the back stage roles but I would love to direct – unfortunately in my town I am an ‘outsider’ so I have to travel for 4 hours just to be involved in amateur theatre – there is no way I could put in the time required to fulfil the role of Director.
I am sorry if I offended you by calling you skinny – it appears I really struck a nerve! Congratulations on getting the role of Motormouth – however, I’m afraid to tell you this but if this was the US there is no way you would have stood a chance of getting that role – and I’m sure there would have been an uproar if you did! The ONLY reason whites are cast as blacks in Australian amateur productions of Hairspray is because they would never be able to fill a cast if they didn’t – Oh No - if there’s no Australian productions of Hairspray there are no writer’s royalties!
To be true to the TEXT of Hairspray Tracey, Edna & Motormouth HAVE to ‘appear’ to be big girls – if skinny people are going to play the roles of Tracey or Motormouth – then they should don fat suits like EVERYONE (who isn’t already fat) does for the role of Edna. I don’t think you can take the same stance as with whites playing blacks – we have PLENTY of big girls in Australia. And yes – possibly very few of those can ‘manage’ the role of Tracey – but I bet you there IS a larger size Tracey with the necessary abilities for EVERY production of Hairspray. Unfortunately some companies only cast within their ‘fold’ and ‘outsiders’ miss out.

• reply
• 1 vote