| Dating back to the time of the Ancient Greeks | | | | Penny go to audition. Velma turns Tracy away for |
| musicals started when the Greeks included music | | | | being overweight and supportive of integration. |
| and dance in their stage comedies. From the 5th | | | | Unfortunately for Tracy, she gets caught and |
| century B.C Musicals have developed into amazing | | | | sent to detention for skipping school, but |
| acts and performances not even close to what | | | | lo-and-behold, detention is where all the black kids |
| they were in the past. Some include: Cats, The | | | | hang out and dance. Tracy befriends hot |
| Phantom of The Opera, Broadway and newer | | | | detention dancer Seaweed (Elijah Kelley), who as |
| ones like Hairspray and The Producers. | | | | it turns out, is Motormouth Maybelle's son. |
| I have not watched very many musicals as they | | | | Seaweed teaches Tracy some R&B moves |
| only come out every once in a while but one of | | | | that later get her a spot on The Corny Collins |
| the more recent ones is Hairspray. It is about a | | | | Show. |
| girl named Tracy Turnbland who manages to | | | | Tracy quickly becomes a big star on the show |
| show everyone the stupidity in segregation and | | | | thanks to her great moves and bubbly personality |
| that 'coolness' is on the inside. | | | | but Velma does not see it that way. All she sees |
| Tracy is a severely overweight high school | | | | is how Tracy is a threat to Amber's position in |
| student in Baltimore, Maryland whose favourite | | | | the "Miss Teenage Hairspray" pageant and |
| TV program is The Corny Collins Show that is | | | | Amber's courtship with Link, the lead performer |
| broadcasted by Baltimore's WYZT station every | | | | for The Corny Collins Show. |
| weekday afternoon. The show involves young | | | | Out of anger, Velma cancels Negro Day from |
| teens dancing and singing up a storm. The | | | | The Corny Collins Show and the black kids and |
| manager of the station, Velma Von Tussle | | | | their leader Maybelle have nowhere to express |
| (Michelle Pfeiffer) goes out of her way to ensure | | | | their talent. |
| her daughter Amber is prominently featured and | | | | Without giving too much away, Tracy shows |
| that the show remains segregated. All of the kids | | | | everyone the importance of not giving up, of |
| on the show are white. Black kids are only allowed | | | | standing up for what you believe in and for the |
| on the show on Negro Day, the last Tuesday of | | | | people you are friends with. While racism against |
| the each month, hosted by local R&B radio | | | | blacks and segregation has stopped being the |
| DJ Motormouth Maybelle (Queen Latifah). | | | | main focus in everyone's lives, it is still surprisingly |
| One day, Corny Collins (James Marsden) | | | | popular today among the less accepting of |
| announces that one of the dancers is going on a | | | | society. This movie shows us that it is important |
| leave of absence and auditions are going to be | | | | to be proud of who you are and the people you |
| held for a replacement the following morning - | | | | are associated with, whether they are fat, gangly, |
| during school hours. Even though their parents are | | | | black or even purple. |
| far from supportive, Tracy and her best friend | | | | |