Jimmy Fallon doesn’t have a drinking problem, says NBC

With NBC’s “The Wiz Live” and “A Sound of Music Live”, being successful and so well-received, the network has decided that “Hairspray” will be the next live musical that they’re going to tackle.

Created by John Waters, “Hairspray” began as movie in 1988, starring Ricki Lake and Divine, before hitting Broadway in 2002. No news on casting yet, but Oscar Isaac is definitely the ladies’ choice for Link.

While all six actors will participate in the special, scheduled to air February 21, Greenblatt couldn’t yet guarantee that all of them will be in the same room for the first time since the series ended 12 years ago.

From the Austrian Alps to Neverland and the yellow brick road of Oz, NBC’s live productions of stage musicals have taken us to some pretty fantastical places.

Similar to “The Wiz” and NBC’s standing list of live television musicals, “Hairspray” is sure to have an all-star cast, although no official announcements regarding the roles have been made. “That was June or July, when most of us thought he’d be waltzing into the background of the political arena”, Greenblatt acknowledged, noting that Trump is now the frontrunner and thus an unavoidable part of the conversation.

“I think it was”, Greenblatt said.

NBC executives had to explain how the network justified going back on its word to be in business with Donald Trump. With Mark Shaiman and Scott Wittman’s infectious songs, and Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan’s sharp, witty book, Hairspray has the potential to be a ratings juggernaut for NBC. “I’ve heard obscure titles and famous titles”. “It’s a beloved show by a lot of people”, Greenblatt said of its success.

While comedy has also been challenging for NBC, Greenblatt said he’s encouraged by the successful recent debuts of Superstore and Telenovela on Monday nights, calling them “a big relief for us”.

“We had a couple businesses that we were doing with him – “Apprentice” and the pageants’ – we got out of both of those businesses”.