Hairspray debuts in Rio and brings a message of diversity and courage

The greatest message that the musical Hairspray conveys is about the strength of the collective, diversity, pride and the courage to be who you are. The power of dreams permeates the entire story of the show, inspiring each person to believe in themselves. With joy, lightness and hope, but also addressing important and contemporary themes, the residents of Baltimore arrive in Rio de Janeiro for the premiere of the Rio season. The show opens on July 4th, at Teatro Riachuelo, for a very short season. Starting on September 5th, it will be the turn of the São Paulo audience to see the musical at Teatro Renault.

Putting on Hairspray today makes even more sense because of all the themes the show addresses and the social moment the country is going through. For Tiago Abravanel, who created this production alongside Antonia Prado, Rafael Villar and Tinno Zani, this has been a dream of many years.

“I discovered the show when I was taking a musical theater course at TeenBroadway and I played Edna as an amateur when I was very young. I also took part in the 2009 production, as a replacement for Edson Celulari, and it was very emblematic for me, but it was as if I hadn’t fully achieved that dream,” reflects Tiago, who will play the character played by John Travolta in the film.

Antonia Prado and Tinno Zani are responsible for the creation and direction, alongside Tiago. Antonia has always loved movies and musical theater and was delighted to discover that she could work in this field. “Hairspray has always been on my radar. I am enchanted by the story and characters of this musical, which brings together a perfect combination of fun spectacle and relevant subjects,” says the producer.

For Tinno, producing Hairspray was very symbolic. “It’s been four years of climbing and maturing step by step to this place that Hairspray occupies today. It’s a show that, in addition to the issues it raises, celebrates the friendship and integration between me, Tiago, Rafa and Toquinha (Antonia),” he celebrates. The musical direction is by Rafael Villar, partner of Motivo Produtora and of this musical alongside Tinno Zani. “Hairspray is a show that, in fact, anyone who watches it, besides having fun and leaving with the songs stuck in their heads, will certainly reflect much more on prejudices in general,” says Rafael.

Hairspray is set in 1960s Baltimore, USA, and follows the story of Tracy Turnblad, an optimistic and energetic young woman who dreams of dancing on the local TV show “The Corny Collins Show”. Outside of traditional beauty standards, Tracy faces many prejudices, but when she wins a spot on the show and becomes an instant celebrity, she joins her friends to fight against racial segregation and promote inclusion for everyone in the city.

Hairspray