Hairspray's original Broadway leading ladies—Laura Bell Bundy, Marissa Jaret Winokur, and Kerry Butler—are reuniting for an Off-Broadway concert run. Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now! will play a limited engagement at New World Stages beginning November 2 with opening night set for November 13. Performances will continue through December 8.
Bundy, Winokur, and Butler created the roles of Amber Von Tussle, Tracy Turnblad, and Penny Pingleton (respectively) in Best Musical winner Hairspray. Since then, all three have become fixtures of the stage and screen, starring in such titles as Beetlejuice, Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, and more. In their new show, the trio will cover songs from Hairspray along with new mashups and medleys, parodies, and more in "a night filled with all the sparkle and joy of a Broadway musical," according to press notes.
The show is directed and written by Bundy, Winokur, and Butler and will feature music direction by Andrew Byrne.
"It’s so wonderful to work with two women I not only love as friends and confidants, but who I admire for their talent and comedic timing," says Bundy in a statement. "We have each other’s backs on stage as well as off. We opened Hairspray together as young women, sharing this truly extraordinary moment in Broadway history. We came up together, cheered each other on as we had subsequent successes, and have been a part of each other’s lives through so many of life’s transitions—even into motherhood. Our show will take you on that journey… a beautiful journey of following. We also wrote this together! Directed it together. Like three friends in the sandbox just having the best time."
“I haven’t been back on a NY stage since Hairspray! I am beyond excited to return with this incredibly personal show with Kerry and Laura Bell," adds Winokur. "This is such a passion project that we literally got together and wrote a show. Every time we have done it, we find new things and remember new stories! We all became mothers in very different ways! We celebrate motherhood and friendship. I love performing with such strong women. We made this show for ourselves out of love and joy. It has brought me back home to NY. I couldn’t be more grateful and excited to share it with everyone! Our lives have changed so much over the last 22 years, but when we are back on stage together, it is like time stood still… and we look exactly the same."
Lisa Dozier Shacket is producing.
Hairspray, based on the John Waters movie, debuted on Broadway in 2002, featuring a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, and a score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The show won eight 2003 Tony Awards, including wins for Winokur and Harvey Fierstein, who created the role of Edna Turnblad. Since Broadway success, the title has become a favorite among theatre fans and is frequently produced at theatres worldwide. A movie adaptation hit theatres in 2007, and a live TV broadcast aired in 2016.
Visit MamaImABigGirlNow.com.
The Broadway cast of Hairspray
