Another Shot of “Hairspray”
I have nothing but affection for the spirit of John Waters, but the news that he’s going to write a treatment for a sequel to the musical “Hairspray” movie has me wary. I suppose it’s a harmless enough idea to bring back the cast of the film — Travolta (pictured) et al — but the track record for musical sequels isn’t very wow-inducing. (“Grease 2,” anyone?) But with the success of the “High School Musical” franchise there was probably no way that a “Hairspray” sequel wasn’t going to rev up. Let’s just hope it’s better than the “Cry-Baby” musical that recently closed on Broadway. And let’s be thankful that the “Hairspray” sequel isn’t debuting onstage — even though the live version of the “Hairspray” musical was, in terms of the cast alone, superior to the flick.
