Hairspray centers on Tracy Turnblad, a big-haired, big-hearted Baltimore teenager in 1962 who dances her way onto a local TV show and then fights to integrate it. Around her are her mother Edna and father Wilbur, best friend Penny, new friend Seaweed, heartthrob Link, scheming Velma and Amber Von Tussle, and the formidable Motormouth Maybelle.
Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman wrote the songs, with a book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on John Waters’s 1988 film. The Broadway production opened at the Neil Simon Theatre on August 15, 2002, ran for 2,642 performances and won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical (IBDB). For a song-by-song tour, see our Hairspray songs explained guide. Here is who everyone is and what each of them is fighting for.
| Character | Who they are | Key song(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Tracy Turnblad | Optimistic teen who dreams of dancing on TV | “Good Morning Baltimore,” “I Can Hear the Bells” |
| Edna Turnblad | Tracy’s mother, who takes in laundry at home | “Welcome to the 60’s,” “(You’re) Timeless to Me” |
| Wilbur Turnblad | Tracy’s father, owner of the Har-De-Har Hut joke shop | “(You’re) Timeless to Me” |
| Penny Pingleton | Tracy’s sheltered best friend | “Without Love” |
| Seaweed J. Stubbs | Motormouth’s son and a standout dancer | “Run and Tell That!” |
| Link Larkin | The Corny Collins Show’s teen heartthrob | “It Takes Two” |
| Velma Von Tussle | The show’s producer and a former beauty queen | “(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs” |
| Amber Von Tussle | Velma’s daughter and the show’s reigning star | “Cooties” |
| Motormouth Maybelle | Record-shop owner and host of the monthly “Negro Day” | “Big, Blonde and Beautiful,” “I Know Where I’ve Been” |
| Corny Collins | The TV host who backs integration | “The Nicest Kids in Town” |
Who is Tracy Turnblad?
Tracy Turnblad is the heroine and the engine of the show. She is a plus-size teenager with a towering hairdo, a terrible attendance record and one dream: to dance on The Corny Collins Show, Baltimore’s after-school dance program. She wakes up singing “Good Morning Baltimore,” a love letter to a city that does not always love her back, and the number tells you everything about her optimism.
What makes Tracy great is that her ambition grows. She wins a spot on the show, but once she sees that Black teenagers are allowed to dance only on one day a month, getting on TV is no longer enough. She wants everyone on the floor together. Tracy is no saint; she is impulsive and occasionally oblivious. But the show treats her nerve as a gift, and it is right to. Marissa Jaret Winokur created the role on Broadway and won the Tony for it.
Who are Edna and Wilbur Turnblad?
Edna Turnblad is Tracy’s mother, a self-conscious woman who takes in other people’s ironing and has not left the house in years. Her arc is the show’s quiet transformation: Tracy drags her out into the world in “Welcome to the 60’s,” and by Act Two Edna is facing down Velma and joining the march. Since Divine played her in Waters’s 1988 film, Edna has traditionally been played by a man. Harvey Fierstein created the role on Broadway and won a Tony, and John Travolta played her in the 2007 movie. The casting is played with total sincerity, never as a wink at the audience.
Wilbur Turnblad runs the Har-De-Har Hut, a joke shop, and is Tracy’s biggest cheerleader. He tells her to chase her dream at every turn. His duet with Edna, “(You’re) Timeless to Me,” is a soft-shoe love song about a long marriage, and it gives the show a lot of its warmth. Dick Latessa won a Tony for the original role.
Who are Penny and Seaweed?
Penny Pingleton is Tracy’s loyal, slightly dazed best friend. Her strict mother, Prudy, keeps her on a short leash, which makes Penny’s eventual rebellion all the sweeter. Penny tags along to every adventure, and by the finale she has found her own voice and her own look.
Seaweed J. Stubbs is Motormouth Maybelle’s son, a gifted dancer whom Tracy meets in detention. He teaches her his moves, and she uses them to win her place on the show. Seaweed leads “Run and Tell That!,” a sly, joyful number about pride and prejudice, with his little sister, Little Inez. He and Penny fall for each other, and their interracial romance, which shocks Prudy, is one of the show’s central love stories. The two of them join Tracy and Link for “Without Love.”
Want to play these songs yourself? Hairspray’s score is a love letter to early-1960s R&B and girl-group pop, and its rolling piano grooves are great for learning rhythm and chord patterns. Try Pianoforall.
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Who are Link Larkin, Velma and Amber Von Tussle?
Link Larkin is the Corny Collins Show’s resident dreamboat and Amber’s boyfriend when the show begins. Tracy falls for him on sight. At first Link cares mostly about his contract and sits out the protest march, but he comes around, sneaking into the jail to find Tracy. “It Takes Two” is his crooner moment.
Velma Von Tussle is the producer of the show and the closest thing Hairspray has to a villain. A former Miss Baltimore Crabs, she keeps the program segregated and schemes to win the Miss Teenage Hairspray crown for her daughter. Her signature number, “(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs,” is a gloriously nasty showcase. Her daughter, Amber Von Tussle, is a spoiled star who sees Tracy as a threat and sings “Cooties” to prove it. The writing lets both of them be funny rather than simply hateful, which makes their comeuppance more fun.
Who is Motormouth Maybelle, and why does she matter?
Motormouth Maybelle owns a record shop and hosts the show’s monthly “Negro Day,” the one day Black teenagers are allowed on the air. She is the mother of Seaweed and Little Inez, and she is the show’s moral center. She opens her shop to Tracy and her friends in “Big, Blonde and Beautiful,” a celebration of bodies that the rest of the world sneers at.
In Act Two she leads “I Know Where I’ve Been,” a gospel-flavored anthem about the long road toward civil rights. It is the moment the show stops being only a romp and acknowledges the real struggle behind its story. The song gives voice to the people who had been fighting long before Tracy noticed. In the finale Tracy is named Miss Teenage Hairspray, declares the show integrated for good, and the whole company joins in “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”
Other figures round out the town: Corny Collins, the host who quietly backs integration; Prudy Pingleton, Penny’s disapproving mother; and Little Inez, Seaweed’s sister, whose talent the Von Tussles cannot ignore.
Who played whom in Hairspray Live! (2016)?
NBC broadcast Hairspray Live! on December 7, 2016, with newcomer Maddie Baillio as Tracy and Harvey Fierstein back as Edna (Playbill).
- Maddie Baillio as Tracy Turnblad
- Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad, and Martin Short as Wilbur
- Ariana Grande as Penny Pingleton, and Andrea Martin as Prudy
- Ephraim Sykes as Seaweed, and Shahadi Wright Joseph as Little Inez
- Jennifer Hudson as Motormouth Maybelle
- Garrett Clayton as Link Larkin, and Derek Hough as Corny Collins
- Kristin Chenoweth as Velma, and Dove Cameron as Amber
For the best moments, see our pieces on the Hairspray Live! “You Can’t Stop the Beat” and Chenoweth and Cameron as the Von Tussles. Want another character guide? Try our Wicked characters explained.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the main character in Hairspray?
Tracy Turnblad is the main character. She is a Baltimore teenager in 1962 who dreams of dancing on The Corny Collins Show, wins a spot and then fights to integrate it. Almost every plot thread, from her parents’ arc to Link’s change of heart, flows from her refusal to accept the way things are.
Why is Edna played by a man in Hairspray?
It is a tradition that began with John Waters’s 1988 film, where the drag performer Divine played Edna. The stage musical kept the idea, with Harvey Fierstein originating the role on Broadway and winning a Tony for it. John Travolta played Edna in the 2007 film, and Fierstein returned for NBC’s 2016 live broadcast.
Who did Ariana Grande play in Hairspray Live!?
Ariana Grande played Penny Pingleton, Tracy’s sheltered best friend, in NBC’s Hairspray Live! in December 2016. Penny falls for Seaweed over the course of the show and finally rebels against her strict mother, Prudy, who was played by Andrea Martin. Grande sang in “Without Love” and the finale, “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”
Who sings You Can’t Stop the Beat in Hairspray?
“You Can’t Stop the Beat” is the finale, and almost every principal gets a moment. Tracy and Link start it, then Penny, Seaweed, Edna, Wilbur, Motormouth and even Velma and Amber join in before the full company takes over. It celebrates the newly integrated Corny Collins Show and is the show’s biggest crowd-pleaser.
Who is the villain in Hairspray?
Velma Von Tussle, the producer of The Corny Collins Show, is the main villain. She keeps the program segregated, schemes to keep Tracy off the air and pushes for her daughter, Amber, to win Miss Teenage Hairspray. Amber is a junior villain, though both get a comic comeuppance by the finale rather than a truly dark end.
