For the upcoming sequel to the successful musical flick Hairspray, expect everybody to let go of the ‘50s and throw themselves head-on into the ‘60s.  But don’t expect much to change: Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman, who partnered to write the songs for the original Broadway musical and, later, the film, will still be on board. John Waters, who worked on the original (non-musical) 1988 film, is also on board. In fact, according to Shaiman, “[he] wrote a treatment that is so f—ng hysterical!”

Would you think it’s that hysterical? Possible spoilers are coming after the fold, so unless you’re willing to be spoiled, don’t continue.

“People hate Tracy (Nikki Blonsky) because she doesn’t lose weight,” Shaiman explained of the plot.  “They ask ‘Now that you’re famous, why won’t you lose weight?’.  And Link (Zac Efron) experiments with drugs.  Throughout half the movie, he has an ongoing dialogue with three pimples on his forehead.”

One thing Shaiman’s particularly excited to work on is another musical number between Edna (John Travolta) and her husband Wilbur (Christopher Walken).  “Edna loses weight, but sees her husband lusting after fat women,” he enthused.  “And so, she finally breaks down and runs over to a snack table.  Just within one number, she gets fat again; gaining 20 pounds at a time.  [Her fat] pops out, and by the end of the song she’s completely at her old weight again.”

One of the more exciting aspects of the Hairspray sequel is the fact that it’s going to be set in the 1960s.  “Part of John Waters’ idea is that [Link] gets caught up trying to masquerade himself as a member of the British Invasion,” Shaiman said.  “And it’s wearing that mop-top Beatles hairdo that causes those pimples on his forehead!”

Musically, it’s also bound to be exciting.  “The ‘60s is just the most fantastic era for music, because it was so wide-ranging,” he said.  “I grew up then, and on the radio you’d have Frank Sinatra going into ‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson Airplane, going into Peggy Lee, The Beatles, the Rolling Stones.  There was so many different kinds of music, all on the same radio stations.  That’s what’s so great about writing for that era.”

The film is expected to hit screens in the summer of 2010.  It won’t be that long, really.


-Henrik Batallones, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: MTV News
(Image courtesy of New Line Cinema)