HAIRSPRAY PREVIEW (INTERVIEW: ACTRESS SCARLETT JACQUES)

Hairspray, one of Broadway’s more timeless musicals, will see its national touring production stop at Cleveland’s treasured Playhouse Square (Connor Palace Theater) from December 5 – 10!

Ahead of the tour arriving in town, CleveRock had the pleasure of speaking with actress Scarlett Jacques, who plays Penny Pingleton in the show!

CleveRock: For those unfamiliar with the musical Hairspray, can you provide a quick synopsis?

Scarlett Jacques: Hairspray follows Tracy Turnblad, who is a plus-size girl who dreams of being on The Corny Collins Show, It’s all about her dream to be on the show, but feeling like she doesn’t belong and people treating her like she’s not worthy of being on the show because of her size. And then, it also has scenes about racism and the segregation that was happening in the town at that time and the period of the show. She’s also fighting for basically just equality for anyone who feels like they don’t belong, and so that they know that they should be able to do what they want and follow their dreams regardless of their size, their race, or anything like that. It’s very much a story about acceptance and just showing that it’s like acceptance and just leading with love and knowing that if you commit to your dreams, you can make them a reality despite what anyone else might tell you.

CleveRock: Music, by its namesake, makes or breaks a musical. However, between the storyline and music, other elements of the production sometimes are overlooked by the audience. What should someone who is attending Hairspray be on the lookout for, aside from the obvious?

Scarlett Jacques: I think definitely the costume design and the wigs, because of course the show’s called Hairspray, so a huge part of it is the hair and how in the sixties, everyone’s hair was like 10 centimeters above their head. And, I think that it’s so interesting to look at the different styles of the different wigs for each character and they really, truly represent that character‘s personality. My wig has a little headband, and it’s very cute. It’s not as high as some of the other girls. But then at the end, I have this big transformation where I really find myself and I find my confidence and I have these curls and my wig is huge and it has rhinestones in it.

I think that the wigs are a huge part of the show as well as of course, the costume design, which we also have a lot of the original costumes from the Broadway production and the National tour, the original one. A lot of them are the same designs, but some of them are genuinely the exact dresses, which I think is so crazy that we’re getting to live out that legacy of these amazing stars and amazing names in the industry to this day. I think that’s super exciting.

CleveRock: If a touring cast is functioning correctly and doing their jobs right, audiences can overlook all of the efforts that take place behind the scenes. Can you talk about the daily grind that you, as a performer go through and you how manage to go out and perform Hairspray eight times each week?

Scarlett Jacques: I think it’s just really important that we take time to rest and we need and it can be tempting to go out and hang out with our friends all the time, but this job is just so important and the health of our bodies is very important. I find that one of the songs that is the hardest for me personally is “Without Love,” because I have to sing very high. That’s not that that’s hard for me, but it’s definitely something that I need to maintain. I do a lot of warmups and warmdowns for the show. Of course, we just all have to drink a lot of water, which is very important.

We have a wonderful team who is always supportive of us and we have incredible swings who come in whenever anyone’s feeling not well. If we get a little injury and they have to be out for the show, our swings can come in and they know exactly what they’re doing. It’s just so amazing that we have such talented people in the cast so that regardless of what happens, we’ll make it through the show. The show will be just as amazing every single night for whoever gets to see it in each city.

CleveRock: Almost every musical has a showstopper that all audiences love and that just blows them away. What number in Hairspray can the audience look forward to the most?

Scarlett Jacques: That is definitely the finale, “You Can’t Stop the Beat.” It’s just such an iconic number and it’s so amazing. It brings all the people from the show together and we show that it’s a community and the dancing is incredible. It’s very tiring to perform, but it’s so much fun and we’re doing the original choreography, which is so exciting, as is the whole show.

CleveRock: Why should Clevelanders come out and see Hairspray when it runs at Playhouse Square from December 5 – 10?

Scarlett Jacques: I think that everyone should come out to the show because it has a huge and important message about equality and awareness and accepting everyone around us, which is something that we’ve come a long way in, but we’re not there yet. And, as well as it just being important to the younger generation and having fun and learning about this message, it also shows that it is a show that’s important for all ages. There are moments for every single type of person that they would all enjoy it. Whether you love to see dancing or if you love singing, we have some amazingly talented singers in the show. Regardless of the fact that it’s important message-wise, it’s also just so much fun and you’re going to have so many laughs. You’re going to cry. It has numbers like “I Know Where I’ve Been,” which is such an important number in the show. I think it’s just one of those shows that is so well-rounded in the comedy, this sadness; the happiness, and you’ll feel a bunch of emotions. It will be overwhelming in the best possible way.