Producers Mark Goucher, Matthew Gale and Laurence Myers have announced further tour dates for the major UK and Ireland tour of Hairspray, which will open at Manchester Palace Theatre in July 2027 before travelling across the UK and Ireland until April 2028.
The production has also confirmed that Katie Brace will return to the role of Tracy Turnblad, joining previously announced Neil Hurst, who will reprise his role as Edna Turnblad.
Paul Kerryson and Brenda Edwards return to co-direct the production, with Olivier Award-winning choreographer Drew McOnie once again leading choreography for the tour.
Newly announced venues include Norwich Theatre Royal, Swansea Arena, Nottingham Theatre Royal, Southampton Mayflower Theatre, Hall for Cornwall in Truro, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham, Sheffield Lyceum Theatre and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.
The tour was previously confirmed to visit Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Dublin, Belfast, Southend, Wimbledon, Liverpool, Bradford, Sunderland, Milton Keynes, Malvern, Birmingham, York, Leicester, Brighton, Woking and Bristol.
Alongside the expanded tour schedule, the production has announced open auditions for the roles of Motormouth Maybelle, Seaweed, Little Inez, the Dynamites and The Motormouth Kids (18 and over). Auditions will take place in London on Monday 26 October, with applicants invited to submit a CV and headshot by Friday 23 October.
Featuring songs including Welcome To The 60s, Good Morning Baltimore and You Can’t Stop The Beat, Hairspray continues to be one of musical theatre’s most enduring hits. The musical follows Tracy Turnblad, a teenager with dreams of dancing on national television who uses her growing fame to challenge prejudice and fight for equality in 1960s Baltimore.
Based on John Waters’ 1988 film, the stage adaptation features music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, and a book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan. Since premiering on Broadway in 2002, the musical has enjoyed international success and won multiple Tony and Olivier Awards.
The creative team also includes set and costume designer Takis, lighting designer Philip Gladwell, sound designer Ben Harrison, musical supervisor and arranger Ben Atkinson, musical director Richard Atkinson, casting directors Grindrod Burton, associate director Juliet Gough, associate choreographer Shaquille Brush and wigs, hair and make-up designer Craig Forrest-Thomas.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
