Super hold of ‘Hairspray’ stands up even in Vegas

LAS VEGAS —  The bouffant may not have started in Vegas, but it definitely looks at home here. The same could be said for “Hairspray,” the Tony Award-winning musical filled with dance-crazy teens and their helmet-hard ‘60s hairdos, which opened Wednesday at the Luxor Theater in a pared-down 90-minute adaptation.

The infectious rhythm and blues score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman sounds great on the glitzy Strip, and the naughty jokes of Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan’s book are a neat fit with Sin City. Though the new production is just a shadow of its Broadway self, it still makes for a brisk theatrical respite from the more guilt-inducing diversions clamoring inside those gargantuan casino pleasure domes.

Anyone who fell in love with “Hairspray” when it premiered in New York, stand warned: The return of Harvey Fierstein, the musical’s first (and, for many, only) Edna Turnblad -- a hausfrau with a heart as big as her whopping dress size -- doesn’t exactly turn back the hands of time. The magic of the original had everything to do with the collective excitement generated by an irredeemably oddball cast that sang and danced its way around a delightful, if slightly sappy, version of John Waters’ 1988 film under the brilliant direction of Jack O’Brien.

That synergy of talent and glee isn’t readily reproducible, even with many of the same names on board, Fierstein and O’Brien among them. (Dick Latessa, who plays Edna’s adoring husband, Wilbur, is also back.) The effort is like trying to duplicate a once-in-a-lifetime party by inviting a few of the same guests and asking them to reenact their former merriment. Nostalgia, as some wag is always reminding us, is not what it used to be.

Though he’s still better than any of the stars who ludicrously tried to fill his orthopedic flats, Fierstein has grown hammier and more self-conscious -- and can’t resist playing to the fun-loving Vegas crowd. He also can’t croak out a song the way he once did. (What sounded like a man with an enormous frog in his throat now seems like a post-op case of vocal polyps.) More often than not, he just mouths the words the rest of the cast ferociously belt.

His co-star Katrina Rose Dideriksen certainly has no problem powering a tune as Tracy Turnblad, Edna’s idealistic daughter, who makes it her mission to integrate “The Corny Collins Show,” a local “American Bandstand”-style program in 1962 Baltimore. She all but blows the roof off with “I Can Hear the Bells,” the number in which she fantasizes about being wooed by Link Larkin (Austin Miller), the all-American heartthrob who reluctantly joins her in the battle to allow blacks to dance on the air themselves rather than watch whites copy their moves. But Dideriksen has a liability that even the most ambitious of Hollywood actresses wouldn’t mind having: She’s not fat enough for the role.

“Hairspray” celebrates outcast status -- the chubby girl wins not only a spot on TV but also the blond hunk’s heart and a not insignificant battle for racial equality -- and is chockablock with jokes about a likable teenager’s overblown proportions. (Marissa Jaret Winokur, who won a Tony as Tracy, was perfect in this and every respect.) Dideriksen, made up to resemble a Charles M. Schulz cartoon reject, is simply several sizes too small. Nor, ironically, is she light enough on her toes for a character who’s supposed to put all the bland (and bigoted) dancers on “Corny Collins” to shame, thanks to lessons from her bright African American pal Seaweed (a wiry Terry Lavell), whom she hooked up with in special ed.

What Dideriksen offers is essentially a well-sung performance with some flashy decorative moves. This is actually in keeping with way the show has been drastically abridged into a near-concert version. Nearly an hour has been cut from the original running time of two hours and 25 minutes, and whoever’s responsible didn’t seem to agonize over the job. The plot is smudged into a blurry outline. You either know the story and fill in the blanks or you get the gist and don’t bother about the details.

Fortunately, the catchy songs and risque one-liners are enjoyable enough on their own, and with the slot machines and jumbo desserts waiting, who cares about a sketchy book? Plus, it’s fun to watch a giant man in a dress make wisecracks as his graying husband croons the middle-aged love ballad “Timeless to Me” with him.

If one of the stars can’t sing and the other can’t dance (and Susan Anton, who plays the rabid stage mother of Tracy’s chief rival, can’t do much of anything but look pretty), at least the rest of the cast is more than proficient, and Fran Jaye and Carla Duren bring real energy to the parts of Motormouth and Inez, Seaweed’s mother and sister, who inspire Tracy to fight the good fight.

Also strong is Chandra Lee Schwartz as Tracy’s nerdy sidekick Penny Pingleton, who crosses racial lines in more amorous ways and can’t help singing about it. The Luxor’s unfortunate acoustics result in a canned orchestra sound, but when the ensemble buoyantly erupts into the finale, “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” the stage hums with a feeling that’s not too far removed from memories of its Broadway heyday.

“Hairspray” is for any weather. The temperate desert air of Vegas just means it doesn’t have to work as hard.

*

‘Hairspray’

Where: Luxor Theater, Luxor Las Vegas Hotel Casino, 3900 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas

When: 7 p.m. Mondays and Fridays,

7 and 10 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays

Ends: Open run

Price: $65 to $85

Contact: (800) 557-7428, (702) 262-4400 or www.luxor.com

Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes