“I’d seen the movie and I’d seen the show, but it was much more trying to get the tone of the character,” she said. For her audition song, she chose Nat King Cole’s “Orange Colored Sky,” which she finds “a little soulful or in the same mindset as this character.” She said she prepared for the role by watching movies set in the 1960s, such as “Selma” and “The Butler,” and grounding herself in the history of the civil rights movement. Osborne, who resides in Los Gatos and helps manage university recruiting and relations for cyber-security company Palo Alto Networks, said she was “extremely overjoyed” to get the part. “She’s got some powerful moments where she helps the younger people stop and think about how putting in work and effort isn’t easy, but if you stick with it and keep focused on what you believe to be right, the negative things you can overcome, and you can make positive change,” she said. “It’s nice to be a part of a piece that is fun and lighthearted and yet is still able to communicate a message that is really positive,” he said.Ĭhildren’s Musical Theatre board chair and alum Joy Osborne is taking on the role of Motormouth Maybelle, a character she describes as “big and boisterous.” Motormouth Maybelle is a disc jockey and record shop owner who hosts the monthly “Negro Day” on “The Corny Collins Show,” a popular local teenage dance show. Still, he said he hopes audiences pick up on the show’s positive overtones, such as its commentary on acceptance, unity and finding strength within oneself. “The central story is about a girl that is not considered to be the most beautiful girl finding her place, (whereas) the secondary story really in today’s world feels like the primary story: the idea of a community trying to integrate.”Īdded Hauge, “Unfortunately, a lot of what is said (in the show) that is even almost off the cuff feels a little more sobering when you’re working on it, even though it’s a musical comedy.” “It’s a very timely piece of what people are feeling right now in terms of divisiveness,” Hauge said. While “Hairspray” is an upbeat and fun musical, the show doesn’t stray from exploring serious themes, said CMT’s artistic director Kevin Hauge.
Set in 1962 Baltimore, the story revolves around Tracy Turnblad (played by Kirsten Schmal), a self-proclaimed “plump” teenage outsider, as she pursues stardom as a dancer on a local TV show while rallying against bullies, deep-seated prejudice and other insurmountable odds. The Children’s Musical Theatre is staging a production next month by the cult king of camp, John Waters, that mixes song and dance with serious social issues.īased on Waters’ 1988 film that was later adapted into a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical and a second film, “Hairspray” is a timely parable about race relations as conversations about race continue to dominate.
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