Hairspray Warms Up at the Luxor

First impressions are all favorable and it is clear why Luxor was willing to bring press in so early. They have nothing to hide and a lot to be proud about considering how many were quick to write off the property after Blue Man's departure. Of course, Fierstein and Latessa performed a number, and I was surprised to actually hear Fierstein's unique love-it-or-hate-it voice really project and hold melody. Why do Susan Anton's hands look three decades older than her face?

Actually, Anton and everyone else in the cast managed to draw applause from a room full of stodgy working press in the three numbers performed. At the end, the unknown who plays lead Tracy Turnblad amazed us all with her "Good Morning Baltimore," that radiated charisma. Everyone from the Review-Journal's Mike Weatherford to Robin Leach went over to interview the actress, Katrina Dideriksen, after this fantastic performance. Again, except me, because the one question I wanted to ask her I didn't have the guts to ask. So, I went looking for a publicist to tell me the answer.  The lead roll of Tracy Turnblad calls for a big girl and Dideriksen has such athletically toned limbs, I wanted to know if she was wearing padding to give her such a substantial belly. My first plan was an unscientific poll among my colleagues, and none of them thought she was wearing a fat suit. That made me even more nervous about asking her. But then I started wondering how much Katrina Dideriksen would have to eat each day to keep her job in such a demanding roll with sometimes three performances a day.

So, bottom line, is she wearing padding? "Of course."

Back to those preview performances starting on February 6. Unlike Cirque shows and most other productions in town reduced admission will be charged for "Hairspray" during this soft opening period until the official premiere on February 15. With a handful of old pros in most of the lead rolls (Katrina Dideriksen has even already understudied for her part) it is safe to say that the preview performances will be the best bargain in town for those weeks. At an abbreviated 90 minutes with this cast based on the tiny bit I saw along with the theatre and staging, it looks like "Hairspray" is going to put fresh life into the struggling Broadway-Vegas connection.

(photos by Steve Spatafore/Getty)