The Fabulous Fox Theatre is taking a journey back in time, with a lovable, singing and dancing 16-year-old girl leading the way.
“Hairspray,” the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical will be performed at the Fox this weekend on Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. as a part of the show’s current tour.
Ryan Cowles, a Dallas resident and former tour manager for a Sesame Street theater show, has been a member of the cast since joining the tour in September of 2008. He auditioned for the show on the spur of the moment when his duties on the Sesame Street tour brought him to New York City.
“I just went in for fun,” he said. “I’m one of those weird actors who loves auditions. I take every audition as an opportunity to grow and learn.”
As a fan of the original Broadway production, Cowles was very excited to be cast in the tour.
“I’ve been a huge fan of the show since I bought the original Broadway album back in 2002,” he said. “I don’t know how you can sit through the show and not come out just loving the show.”
After being cast, Cowles began rehearsals to prepare for the rigorous demands of producing a touring musical.
“We rehearsed for two weeks in New York,” he said. “We had ‘Shrek’ rehearsing above us so that was just great.”
Now that the tour is on the road, rehearsals are usually relegated to a half hour of preparation at each venue before a show. Additionally, extra rehearsals are held at the request of the tour’s creative team.
“On the road, we have our creative team,” Cowles said. “They watch the show, and we have little rehearsals if they want to tweak little things.”
As a swing member of the cast, Cowles describes his place in the show as a, “final line of defense.” It is his job to be familiar with a number of different roles in case he has to step in when an emergency happens.
“It’s fun. It keeps things fresh,” he said. “You have to be aware of everything that’s going on. It’s just knowing the show well-enough to be able to adapt.”
The level of adaptability needed for this tour, keeps the show fresh for Cowles.
“How can we not keep it fresh? Each show is different,’ he said. “Each venue is different. Each audience is different.”
As the nature of the show requires Cowles to be familiar with most of the show’s running time, he has a few favorite numbers, one specifically.
“I love ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat,’ of course,” he said. “The number is very exhausting, but the audience loves it. It’s just the best finale for any musical ever written, as far as I’m concerned.”
Cowles is particularly impressed by the fan reactions.
“It has been life changing,” he said. “It reaches people on different levels, in different age groups. It’s been amazing.”
He thinks people are drawn to the show for a number of reasons, least of which is the power of the musical’s central message and character.
“My favorites are some of the teenage girls,” he said. “They just wait outside and go crazy for, you know, the heartthrob, Link Larkin but also for Tracy. It’s the story of an ordinary girl who does amazing things. It’s just a 16-year-old girl, and those girls love her.”
After their last performance on Sunday, the cast will be holding a benefit at Halo Bar on Delmar to benefit the Multiple Sclerosis Society chapter in St. Louis.
“Our old Motormouth [Maybelle] who left us in January suffers from MS, and we want to raise awareness of it.”
The cast will be performing a range of songs not from the soundtrack of “Hairspray” at the event.
After hitting St. Louis, the tour is far from over. “Hairspray” just ended a tour of Canada and will be heading abroad again soon.
“In June, we’re taking the show over to Asia,” Cowles said. “It actually went to China right before the Olympics. They just love it over there.”
For more information about the current touring production of “Hairspray,” visit www.hairsprayontour.com.
Visit www.thefabulousfoxtheatre.com to purchase tickets or for more information on the rest of the shows coming to the Fox this season.
