Celebrate the 18th Anniversary of Hairspray Opening on Broadway

The stage musical adaptation of John Waters’ 1988 film Hairspray opened on Broadway August 15, 2002, at the Neil Simon Theatre.

Songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman collaborated with librettists Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan on the musical adaptation of Waters’ Baltimore-set story of a plus-size girl who breaks social and racial barriers on local TV in the 1960s.

Hairspray won eight 2003 Tony Awards, including Best Book, Best Score, and Best Musical. Jack O’Brien directed (and won a Tony for his work), while Jerry Mitchell was Tony-nominated for his roof-raising choreography.

Waters’ original film starred Ricki Lake as Tracy Turnblad, Divine as Edna Turnblad, and Sonny Bono as Wilbur Turnblad. On Broadway, the roles were originated by Marissa Jaret Winokur, Harvey Fierstein, and the late Dick Latessa. Winokur, Fierstein, and Latessa won Tony Awards for their performances.

The original cast also included such notables as Glee star Matthew Morrison, Kerry Butler, Laura Bell Bundy, Jackie Hoffman, Joshua Bergasse, and Shoshana Bean.

Hairspray ended its Broadway run January 4, 2009, after 31 previews and 2,642 regular performances. The stage musical was later adapted into a 2007 film musical, and a live adaptation aired on NBC in December 2016.

Take a look back through some of Hairspray's highlights below.

When we got our first look at Hairspray on Broadway: