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VOICE ONE:
The Tony Awards for the best plays on Broadway in New York Citywill be presented on June eighth. One extremely popular playreceived thirteen nominations. They include best musical and bestperformances by an actor and actress in a musical.
I’m Steve Ember with Phoebe Zimmermann. Today we tell about andplay music from “Hairspray” on the VOA Special English program, THISIS AMERICA.
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VOICE TWO:
The play “Hairspray” is a musical version of a funny moviewritten and directed by John Waters in nineteen-eighty-eight. It isabout rock and roll music and relations between black and whiteteenagers. It takes place in Baltimore, Maryland, during the civilrights movement of the nineteen-sixties.
The musical “Hairspray” opened onBroadway last year. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman wrote the music.”Hairspray” is a funny show about teenagers and the music theyliked. The main character is a teenage girl named Tracy Turnblad.She lives in Baltimore in nineteen-sixty-two.
Tracy is a big girl. She is overweight. She also has “big hair.”She wears her hair in a high hairstyle that was popular back then.She keeps it in place using hairspray. Tracy loves music. And sheloves to dance. After school, she and her friends watch otherteenagers dance on a popular local television show, the “CornyCollins Show.”
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VOICE ONE:
Tracy’s dream comes true. She is chosen to be one of the dancerson the show. She likes one of the male dancers, Link Larkin. Hesings a love song to Tracy. Matthew Morrison sings “It Takes Two.”
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VOICE TWO:
Tracy becomes very popular after appearing on the televisionshow. The owner of a clothing store for large women wants to makeTracy a model for his clothing. Tracy wants her mother, EdnaTurnblad, to help her become famous. Edna is also a very largewoman. She works at home washing other people’s clothes. She doesnot like to leave her house. Tracy tells her mother she must takepart in all of the excitement of life. Marissa Janet Winokur[wi-NO-cur], as Tracy, sings “Welcome to the Sixties.”
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VOICE ONE:
Edna Turnblad, Tracy’s mother, looks unusual. She also has a veryunusual voice. That is because she is played by a large male actor,Harvey Fierstein [FIRE-steen], who is dressed like a woman. Listenas Edna sings about her love for her husband, Wilbur.
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VOICE TWO:
All the dancers on the “Corny Collins Show” are white. However,once a month, the show permits black teenagers to dance on the show.Motormouth Maybelle, who owns a record store, organizes and leadsthat show. Tracy believes that black teenagers and white teenagersshould be able to dance together on the show all the time. She andMotormouth organize a civil rights demonstration. But it turns intoa riot and the protesters are arrested. Later they are released fromjail. Motormouth sings about her own struggle for equal rights. MaryBond Davis sings “I Know Where I’ve Been.”
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VOICE ONE:
The television show organizes a contest called “Miss TeenageHairspray.” The people at the event vote for the teenage girl theylike best. The event is broadcast on television across the country.The broadcast is paid for by a company that makes hairspray. All ofthe girls in the contest use the product to keep their large hairstyles in place. Clarke Thorell as Corny Collins sings abouthairspray.
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VOICE TWO:
The “Miss Teenage Hairspray” contest includes a dancecompetition. All of the teenagers, both black and white, join Tracyin the contest. They dance together for the first time on nationwidetelevision. They all sing “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”
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VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Shelley Gollust. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Phoebe Zimmermann. Join us again next week for anotherreport about life in the United States on the VOA Special Englishprogram, THIS IS AMERICA.