Performing a selection of songs from the hit musical Hairspray, the Dunbar Baldwin Hughes (DBH) Theatre Company held their Spring Cabaret this past Saturday, Feb. 20 in the SDS Room of Mattin Center. After two months of rehearsal, the theater group sang and danced to the numbers from the classic musical based on the zany John Waters film from 1988.
The performance was preceded by a traditional Southern dinner. Sitting around covered tables decorated with colorful balloon centerpieces, audience members ate soul food consisting of fried chicken, corn muffins and other classic dishes.
As the audience finished cleaning their plates, the lights dimmed and cast members began shuffling through the aisles to take the floor and open with the famous opener “Good Morning Baltimore.”
The opener then transitioned to the song “The Nicest Kids in Town,” which featured most of the ensemble. Other musical numbers performed were “Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now,” “(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs,” “Without Love” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”
Sophomore Kaylynn Sanders, who played Motormouth Maybelle, particularly shone in “Big, Blonde and Beautiful” and “I Know Where I’ve Been,” in which she belted out the notes.
“Big, Blonde and Beautiful” also featured an unforeseen mishap where Edna Turnblad’s blonde up-do slipped, humorously exposing a wig cap underneath. However, Sophomore John Del Toro admirably took the situation in stride, ironically singing praises about his character’s impressive hair while holding it in his very hands.
The DBH Theatre Company’s performance was unique in its shortened rendition of the musical.
While the story was condensed, the musical flowed seamlessly due to the embellished narration of the character Corny Collins, the host of the fictional Corny Collins Show and played by sophomore Anthony Karahalios. Because of the abridged nature of the show, the producer, senior Diamond Pollard, had to carefully select the musical numbers.
“I tried to figure out which songs were the most iconic, but also considered which songs I could drop and still maintain the narrative,” she wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
This theme of creating a simple yet iconic performance seemed to pervade all other aspects of the production as well. Cast members generally remained in the same costumes but maintained the classic 1960s silhouettes and, of course, voluminous hair. The set changes were signaled by pantomiming and usage of choice props. The bright and lively bops, endearing romances and message of integration were also highlights of the performance.
While the Spring Cabaret does coincide with Black History Month, Pollard explained that the choice of the show was not directly inspired by this theme.
“We felt that Hairspray (despite its plot dealing with race and segregation) didn’t quite fit as a BHM show,” she wrote. “That being said, we certainly didn’t ignore its relevance to current events, like what happened in Baltimore this past April and the Oscar controversy.”
The Dunbar Baldwin Hughes Theatre Company has been very active over the past year, also producing Dearly Departed, a play that ran in December 2015. They also held a performance of for colored girls who considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf in October 2015.
