The world tour of Broadway's Big Fat Musical, Hairspray has finally made it to Beijing and just in time to deal with the "fun" of Olympic security.

City Weekend was there on Thursday evening before the official opening night and found the front doors of the Exhibition Center Theater closed and locked. The theater staff was obviously not informed that there was going to be an audience. So the few hundred audience members (mostly press and "friends") entered the theater through (gasp!) the backstage door!! Much to the chagrin of the cast and crew, the almost 100% Chinese audience traipsed through the sacred backstage and into the front of the house with little clue that this is unprecedented in professional musical theater protocol.

At the proposed curtain time, audience members were still making their way through the electrical lines, set pieces, and confused cast and crew members so the curtain was delayed. Finally, the cast was dressed and ready to go, the orchestra was in the pit, the audience were in their seats, all signs said "go," but this was not the case. Then, an apologetic announcement came over the PA system. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are sorry to tell you that everyone has to leave due to lack of proper security measures." The officials at the theater had not bothered to show up or open the doors in spite of a very full audience with tickets in had.

Many people refused to leave. Then, came the army police who quickly and forcibly, in some cases, removed the audience from their seats and sent them backstage with a promise of a ticket exchange. Some of the audience members stopped in the backstage and refused to go out. At this point, the police had quietly left the building having "done their duty" of clearing the front of the house, never minding a quarter of the audience standing angrily in the wings of the stage.

Eventually, it was clear that the theater was not allowing the audience to stay remaining angry "would-be" audience members reluctantly made it out the door. However, the cast and crew remained to do a quick run through and City Weekend was there.

In spite of the trials of miscommunication with the theater, an obvious flaw in the system, the show went out without a hitch on opening night. And Saturday brought two more flawless shows to entertain Chinese audiences who are less familiar with the art of American Musical Theater. With more professional productions like this (along with locally produced shows) Beijing has the potential to develop a real appreciation for this brand of performing arts.

The cast gave an energetic performance with all the dazzle and pizazz of New York and the audiences ate it up like candy. The costumes were gorgeous! The sets were sensational and the hair...well, you can imagine the heights that can be reached with a show named HAIRSPRAY.

Anyone familiar with the original movie will recognize the characters and storyline right away. It's the tale of an overweight girl in the sixties who wants nothing more than to dance on TV with her "colored" friends and who's one TV wish is, "I wish every day were Negro Day!" It's the kind of movie that is just begging to be a musical with its built in dance numbers and drag queen moms. Hairspray makes its transition to stage quite easily. The dancing and singing is incredible and there is never a dull moment. In this straight from Broadway production, set changes are as seamless as a film fade.

Act One is full of toe-tapping numbers and non-stop jokes, although, some jokes were lost in translation. An immediate crowd favorite was Tracy's mom played by Jerry O'Boyle, who looks particularly stunning after the make-over number, "Welcome to the 60s." And Angela Birchett's Motormouth Maybelle stole hearts with her golden voice.

During intermission things really got interesting for the mostly local crowd when two cast members taught everyone the dance moves to the ending number. This interactive entertainment set the tone for the fast-paced Act Two which got audible "oohs" and "ahhs" from the much enamored audience.

Hairspray holds together well even under the toughest conditions. And the message of the show demonstrates tolerance and acceptance of people who are different--a fabulous pre-Olympic theme for us Beijingren.

Hairspray's opening was anything but sticky! And it will be here all week. Get your tickets through piao.com! There is a matinée at 2pm on Sunday, July 27, and shows on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights at 7:30pm. Bring your dancing shoes!