Hairspray: Racism In Theatres

“Broadway” is the name of one of the most famous streets in the world. The road had humble beginnings, as it was not always this luminous roadway. In the time of the Dutch, the street was a wide country road called “Breedeweg.” The street received its label because of its wideness (“broad”) that led from the entrance of the Old Fort to be the area soldiers could drill.

Musicals launched in England in the late 19th century by combining short operas with singing and dancing. It was not until musicals came to the Theater District in the United States on Broadway in New York City during the early 20th century that they became popular. The Theatre District is located between 41st and 53rd street and positioned between Sixth and Ninth Avenues in Manhattan. The district is made up of about 40 theatres and expands to nation wide tours as well as

These shows can deal with heavy social issues in a light fashion (Jacobs). For example, Hairspray is a musical about racially segregated life in Baltimore during the early 1960s. This was a time when African Americans were given the freedom to vote and legally voice their opinions in society. Hairspray was produced on a Broadway stage in the late 1990s and early 2000s during a time when racism was prevalent through many racist occurrences and social disturbances. The musical ends with the African American teenagers being allowed to perform on the Corny Collin’s show everyday with the white teenagers. The messages sent from this musical can resonate with the people of the 1960s and the people of today because both have and are still having experiences dealing with racism. The “happy ending” that Hairspray presents the audience with, takes the audience away from this crazy, hectic, racist world for about three hours and has to power to change someone’s views for the