We reached the halfway point! In only 160 days (of 538 total), we have already seen 25 plays, or half of our initial goal! This has led to discussions of "stretch goals" (given C's job in the fundraising world, this is a common phrase), such as trying to see 50 plays solely in C's birthday year, or trying to see 50 in both C's birthday year *and* my birthday year. We shall see what transpires. We front-loaded a lot of plays this summer and fall, so the pace will likely be slowing down now for awhile.
Anyway, to the play: OSF has been doing musicals regularly in the Bill Rausch era, but we don't always go. (We didn't necessarily approve at first, but given how fun -- and high-quality -- they are, we have gradually been won over.) And even though I've seen John Waters' original movie and bits of the remake musical version of the movie, I still forget how civil-rights oriented this show is. In addition to the general themes in the musical, this performance, the final show of the 2019 OSF season, was dedicated to Rep. Elijah Cummings, who had died only 10 days earlier. As Baltimore's congressional representative, it was especially fitting to honor him and his legacy.
Before the show started, I looked around the audience for Bill or the director, Christopher Liam Moore (who also happens to be Bill's husband), but didn't see either of them. As the start time got closer and the house was nearly full, Christopher walked in to an ovation that quickly caught speed and became a standing "O". As he took his seat and the applause died down, it quickly started up again as Bill entered. This one lasted a little longer, as many of us wanted to offer our deepest thanks for what has been an incredible decade-plus-long run.
The show itself was energetic and fun, with the arrogant and smarmy Von Tussles playing excellent pantomime villains against the ordinary, hard working Turnblad family and the African American folks who befriended them. In a nod to the progressive inclusiveness of the plot, the company included a number of young people with mental or physical disabilities, including a young man with cerebral palsy who played most of the show in a wheelchair. When he stood up and danced in the climactic dance scene, the roar was loud and touching. My seat neighbors, who had seen the show back in March, said that it seemed like the actors were really going for it tonight. An ebullient way to end the season!
https://www.osfashland.org/Hairspray
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