They’re about to release a movie of the Broadway musical of the cult classic Hairspray
Okay - In the original movie, Ricki Lake’s mom was played by Devine, a 70’s icon - a well known drag queen. But that’s the type of role s/he always played. S/he was worshipped by a college friend of mine.
I never saw the Broadway production, so I cannot say for sure, but I thought the mom was played by a woman. So why is it necessary to get a middleaged overweight male actor to play the role in this new movie when I’m sure there are many talented middle aged overweight women who could play the role? And they need the work more than Travolta
(besides, I heard that he and his family have turned themselves into night dwellers to avoid the paparazzi during the day (eta: ) so how could he shoot the film?)
Why it’s Travola I don’t know, but obviously the producers wanted a bigger name than Fierstein. It would be a little weirder if the role was going to a woman.
Bruce Vilanch played Edna in the touring version of the show - so as far as I know, Travolta is not only the first straight man to play the part in the musical, he’s the first not to have to shave off a famous beard to do it.
I think there’s a joke about Kelly Preston in there…
Damn. Where’s the “Thank-Og-we-have-a-chiropractor-in-my-building-because-my-back-just-took-
a-pounding-when-I-started-choking-on-my-bagel-after-reading-this-remark”
smiley? It would come in handy about now.
If you insist. Had I bothered to think the thing out the first time, it would have gone something like “Travolta is the first straight man to play Enda in the musical, and he’s the first not to get rid of a beard- although he is divorcing Kelly Preston.”
Sadly, they got rid of that smiley along with the Happy Jewish Man. I told them somebody was going to need it one day, but NO…
Michael McKean and Paul Vogt both played Edna for a while on Broadway, actually, so Travolta is NOT the first straight, non-bearded man to play her. (I’m pretty sure McKean is straight. I know nothing about Vogt and had to look him up to even figure out why he’s famous…)
If the “tradition” of having a man play the part is meant as an homage to Divine, I think she must be spinning in her grave over Travolta. With Travolta’s intolerant whacky Scientology views on alternate lifestyles it seems more of an insult to have him play the part.
And no, it is not possible to separate the actor from the role anymore in cases of high profile cult whackos like Travolta and Cruise.
McKean is straight; he even kissed me on the cheek (not that that’s the determining factor) when we were both at a show at The Bottom Line in Greenwich Village
