Hairspray Production Design Review

Adam Shankman’s 2007 remake of Hairspray leaves you feeling happy, upbeat and ready to sing and dance for hours. Compared to John Waters’ 1988 film, Shankman’s feels more heightened in a way, especially with production design and costuming. The difference between the classes, or between Tracy and the people on the Corny Collins Show feels bigger. The colour and sound of the Corny Collins set are big and bright, larger than life. Of course, it’s quite obvious that this is because of the set not being real life, but the cast members of the show take on this air (Amber in particular) and even in their clothes, they don’t seem to fit into their ordinary school lives before they rush off to dance on the show. This only makes their status higher, and when Tracy attempts to audition for the show it’s obvious even from her clothes that being accepted in this elite group only happens when you’re very fortunate.

Tracy’s home is also quite dull in regards to colour – it feels normal, ordinary and familiar. The school does too, with colours and furniture that would be found in a typical high school. Colour is a big thing here – the brighter and bolder the colour, the more people in the story are drawn to the people in these environments. People feel compelled to look towards the people and places that seem better than their own lives. Production designer David Gropman and costume designer


Rita Ryack have worked together brilliantly on this film, the costumes fit the environment the sets create perfectly, as well as expressing the time period.

When Tracy is accepted into the show and starts to be accepted by the cast members (apart from Amber), she also receives an invitation for sponsorship. This results in new clothes for both her and her mother, making her feel better and more a part of the group, and elevating her to the status of the rest of the group.

At the end of the film, the Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant serves as the set for the showdown between Tracy and Amber, and the family and friends that have been pulled into the whole event. Bright, sparkly and full of life, the aerosol-filled show looks perfect for the stereotypical look we think of when the 1960s are mentioned.

Georgia x