LOS ANGELES, April 25 (UPI) — Jennifer Hudson and Harvey Fierstein have joined the cast of “Hairspray Live!”
NBC announced the 34-year-old singer and 61-year-old actor will play Motormouth Maybelle and Edna Turblad in the network’s television adaptation in a press release Monday.
Maybelle owns a record store and is mom to son Seaweed and daughter Inez, while Edna is the “indomitable” mother of protagonist Tracy Turnblad. Fierstein previously played Edna in the original Broadway production of “Hairspray.”
“We are beyond thrilled with this incredibly talented duo of stars for Hairspray Live!” NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said.
“Harvey Fierstein created the role of Edna Turnblad on Broadway in an indelible Tony-winning performance that demanded to be memorialized on film, and we’re happy he wanted to step into her shoes one last, unforgettable time.”
“We’re also so grateful that the incomparable Jennifer Hudson will play Motormouth Maybelle and we know her rendition of ‘I Know Where I’ve Been’ will literally stop the show,” Greenblatt added.
“Grease Live!” and longtime “Dancing with the Stars” director Alex Rudzinski will direct the TV adaptation, with “Smash” executive producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron as co-executive producers. “Hairspray Live!” will air Dec. 7 on NBC.
Hudson came to fame as a contestant on “American Idol” Season 3 and has since starred in “Dreamgirls” and “Chiraq.” She last released the album “JHUD” in 2014, while Fierstein wrote the teleplay for NBC’s “The Wiz Live!”
