`Hairspray` returns to Baltimore
John Travolta didn`t show up for the premiere of "Hairspray" in the city that inspired it. Neither did Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah or Christopher Walken.
No matter. Most of the hundreds of screaming fans crammed behind barricades surrounding the red carpet Wednesday night weren`t waiting for those A-listers anyway. They were more interested in a new generation of stars: Zac Efron of "High School Musical" and Amanda Bynes of "What I Like About You" and "The Amanda Show."
"It`s very flattering," Efron said above the earsplitting shrieks. "It feels great to be bringing this movie back to Baltimore."
Before Bynes and Efron made their appearances, John Waters, the creator of "Hairspray" and a big star by Baltimore standards, soaked up the adulation.
Asked if he`d ever heard so many teenage girls screaming his name, Waters said: "I look over there and many of them could be arrested if they saw my other movies, so times have changed."
Waters was resplendent in a black sport coat, shirt and tie, accented by lime green pants and matching patent leather shoes.
"I try to always wear puke green when I`m in Baltimore because that`s my favorite color," said the venerable "Pope of Trash," who hadn`t made a PG-rated movie before "Hairspray" - or since.
Waters wrote the original "Hairspray" in the mid-1980s - before several stars of the new version were born - in the bedroom of his threadbare northwest Baltimore apartment.
Now, the musical adaptation has been running on Broadway for five years, and the $75 million movie-musical version opens Friday.
Waters is thrilled with the transformation. The first time he saw the newest "Hairspray," he insisted on being alone in case he hated it.
"It`s better than I expected it to be," he said. "I think they reinvented it. They made it new. That`s the point, isn`t it?"
A few minutes later, Bynes, Efron and Elijah Kelley, a lesser-known performer who radiates charisma as the character Seaweed, greeted Waters like an elder statesman. Newcomer Nikki Blonsky, who stars as the pleasantly plump, dance-crazy Baltimore teenager Tracy Turnblad, referred to him as "Mr. Waters."
"This is a classic piece of John Waters material," said Bynes, who plays Tracy`s best friend, Penny Pingleton. "How could I not want to be a part of it? I think any young actress in their right mind would have wanted this part."
Producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan clearly knew what they were doing when they went after Bynes and Efron. While recent big-ticket musicals like "Chicago" and "Dreamgirls" have fared well at the box office, "Hairspray," with its young fans, could have a broader appeal.
Efron is "not only right for the role, but God bless him, he brings with him all of teen idol-dom," Meron said.
Autograph seeker Kellsey Pieples, 13, of Indiana, Pa., said she probably wouldn`t have been interested in "Hairspray" if not for Efron`s involvement. "Zac drew my attention to `Hairspray,`" she said. Asked why she adored him so much, she pointed to his picture: "Just look at him!"
Director Adam Shankman felt privileged to work with two generations of stars.
"All the actors were my first choices, which is remarkable," Shankman said. "Chris Walken was the last one to commit. I said, `You get to play John Travolta`s husband.` He was like, `That`s funny. That, I`ve never been offered before.`"
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