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Hairspray

New York, NY

Close-up of a curtain

Theater

What if the set became a character?

Hairspray, the story of a spunky, bouffant-haired dance lover named Tracy Turnblad, begs for sets that are equally flamboyant. Challenged with turning the 1988 movie into a Broadway production, Rockwell Group captured the quirky humor of the story for a theatrical setting.

Project Category
Theater
Selected Awards
57th Annual Tony Awards: Nomination, Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Design challenges became opportunities to create larger-than-life musical numbers. Eighteen separate sets morph from one scene to the next with speed and energy.

Sets from a living room to a record shop had to accommodate musical dance numbers and a full chorus of back-up singers.

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The finale’s over-the-top Eventorium—with rocket-shaped arches and a stage framed by a red wig—references period architecture with the right amount of wit.
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Hairspray set