‘Hairspray Live’ is NBC’s least-watched musical, according to Nielsen

When you could see and hear them. You get absolute magic.

She greets the day in her hometown with the song Good Morning Baltimore.

NBC’s “Hairspray Live!” Wednesday night played to the lowest ratings of any of the network’s live musical specials. Watch for former “Hairspray” stars Ricki Lake and Marissa Jaret Winokur in the cast. At a time when musical, theater and arts programs are being cut from public schools nationwide, live theater shows like Hairspray Live! are not only in high demand but are needed.

NBC’s HAIRSPRAY LIVE airs tonight, Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT from Los Angeles.

The opening song to “The Corny Collins Show”, which Tracy Turnbald desires to be a part of, showcases mean girl Amber Von Tussle, heartthrob Link Larkin and host Corny Collins.

On stage, Tracy’s mother Edna is always played by a man – in a nod to Divine, the drag queen who appeared in a slew of Waters films and played Edna in the 1988 movie.

Corporate America also chose to get in on the fun, with Toyota, Reddi-wip and Oreo all paying for live commercials and product placements during the show. Watch the promo video below for an exciting sneak peek! And most importantly, “Hairspray Live!” in the main was genuinely entertaining, even amid some messy moments of a huge production that seemed to be striving for a lot of different emotions all at once.

“Hairspray Live!” behind the scenes image of (L-R) Maddie Baillio, Harvey Fierstein and Ephraim Sykes. Hairspray Live! is no exception.

Newcomer Maddie Bailie, in the key role of Tracy Turnblad, didn’t consistently knock our socks off, but she brought enough charisma and charm to her performance to excuse whatever flaws there were. “You’ll fall in love with her”. Adds Baillio, “Harvey texts me every night to make sure that everything’s going smoothly and that I’m happy”. “I’m really excited about it”. Link Larkin, Penny, and Seaweed are standing over her, and Link says, “You’re lovely when you’re unconscious”, and the show moves into a reprise of “I Can Hear The Bells”. Actors dodged real cars and buses, they dodged real dodge balls and some dancers dodged other dancers doing somersaults. Leon’s major role, however, was to guide the new Tracy Turnblad, 20-year-old Baillio. However, through her efforts, she is able to not only change the show’s emphasis on body type, but also break up its stubborn segregation. Baillio’s cast members have full confidence that she will do a great job.

“It’s more prevalent and more relevant than ever before”, Chenoweth says.

She “has a voice that is just wonderful”.

You won’t want to miss this wonderful musical adventure!