Celebrated singer and West End legend, Micheal Ball, will be playing Edna Turnblad in the London production of Hairspray. The character of Edna Turnblad is that of the over-sized and overbearing mother of dance crazy teen, Tracy Turnblad.

Hairspray, the musical is based on the 1988 film by John Waters and is set in Baltimore in 1962. In the 1988 film version, the role of Edna Turnblad was played by Baltimore’s most famous transvestite performer, Divine.

In the 2007 film production of Hairspray, Edna Turnblad is played by John Travolta. I found the most fantastic clip of Travolta in a pink dress on youtube – it’s brilliant. Looking forward to seeing the film when it comes out but am even more excited about seeing Michael Ball in this role in the West End.