Principal Roles and Casts
Principal roles and casts of major productions of stage productions of Hairspray
| Character | Description | Original Broadway Actor/Actress | Notable Broadway Replacements | Original West End Actor/Actress | Notable West End Replacements | Original Australian Actor/Actress |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tracy Turnblad | A "pleasantly plump" teenager, who dreams of fame and fights to racially integrate The Corny Collins Show. | Marissa Jaret Winokur | Kathy Brier Carly Jibson Shannon Durig Marissa Perry |
Leanne Jones | Chloe Hart | Jaz Flowers (Kirby Lunn - Cover) |
| Edna Turnblad | Tracy's kind, plus-sized mother – a drag role. Edna runs a laundry business out of her home. | Harvey Fierstein | Michael McKean Bruce Vilanch John Pinette Blake Hammond Paul Vogt George Wendt |
Michael Ball | Brian Conley Phill Jupitus Michael Starke |
Trevor Ashley |
| Amber Von Tussle | Bratty, selfish resident princess of The Corny Collins Show, despite her lack of talent. She is willing to do anything to win the Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant. | Laura Bell Bundy | Becky Gulsvig Haylie Duff Ashley Spencer Aubrey O'Day |
Rachael Wooding | Zoe Rainey Nicola Brazil |
Renee Armstrong |
| Velma Von Tussle | Amber's scheming mother and producer of The Corny Collins Show, who pushes her daughter to seek the stardom that she never had. | Linda Hart | Barbara Walsh Isabel Keating Michele Pawk Mary Birdsong Karen Mason |
Tracie Bennett | Liz Robertson Belinda Carlisle Siobhán McCarthy |
Marney McQueen |
| Penny Pingleton | Tracy's slightly dorky, devoted and perky best friend. | Kerry Butler | Jennifer Gambatese Diana DeGarmo Caissie Levy Alexa Vega |
Elinor Collett | Verity Rushworth | Esther Hannaford |
| Link Larkin | A teenage heartthrob and one of The Corny Collins Show Council Members, who falls in love with Tracy. | Matthew Morrison | Richard H. Blake Andrew Rannells Ashley Parker Angel Aaron Tveit |
Ben James-Ellis | Liam Tamne | Jack Chambers |
| Motormouth Maybelle | The owner of a downtown record shop and the host of "Negro Day" on The Corny Collins Show, self-described as "big, blonde and beautiful". | Mary Bond Davis | Darlene Love Jenifer Lewis Charlotte Crossley |
Johnnie Fiori | Sandra Marvin Sharon D Clarke |
Cle Morgan |
| Seaweed J. Stubbs | A hip "Negro Day" dancer and the son of Motormouth Maybelle who falls in love with Penny. | Corey Reynolds | Chester Gregory II Tevin Campbell |
Adrian Hansel | Tevin Campbell | |
| Wilbur Turnblad | Tracy’s goofy father, who owns the Har-De-Har Hut joke shop and is still madly in love with his wife, Edna. He encourages Tracy to follow her dreams. | Dick Latessa | Jere Burns Jerry Mathers Jim J. Bullock Stephen DeRosa |
Mel Smith | Ian Talbot Nigel Planer Micky Dolenz |
Grant Piro |
| Corny Collins | The eccentric and cocky host of The Corny Collins Show. | Clarke Thorell | Lance Bass Jonathan Dokuchitz Blake Currie |
Paul Manuel | Gavin Alex | Scott Irwin |
| Little Inez | Seaweed's younger sister, who tries to audition for The Corny Collins Show but is turned away because she is black. | Danielle Eugenia Wilson | Naturi Naughton | Natalie Best | Raquel Jones | Nancy Denis |
| Female Authority Figure | The Matron guarding The Big Dollhouse; the Gym Teacher; and Prudy Pingleton, Penny's overprotective and often close-minded mother. | Jackie Hoffman | Julie Halston Susan Mosher |
Wendy Somerville | Jacqui Rae | |
| Male Authority Figure | Mr. Pinky, owner of Mr. Pinky's Hefty Hideaway who gives Tracy and Edna a makeover; Principal of Patterson Park High School; and Mr. Harriman F. Spritzer, the President of Ultra Clutch | Joel Vig |
Blake Hammond Jim J. Bullock Kevin Meaney |
Dermot Canavan | Garry Scale |
Read more about this topic: Hairspray (musical)
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