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The Royal Theatre on Pennsylvania Avenue in Baltimore. (Image Source) |
Currently onstage at the FAC is Hairspray, a big, over the top, crazy musical comedy. This fun production has been leaving audiences dancing in their seats and in the aisles; but while loads of fun, it also addresses serious issues of the time: racism, discrimination, and social inequality.
Hairspray takes
place in Baltimore, Maryland during the early 1960s, and civil rights issues were taking center stage on national politics. Tracy Turnblad, the chubby protagonist of Hairspray, is committed to seeing racial integration a reality. She wants to see people of all skin colors and body types dancing on TV. (Spoiler Alert: With the help of her family and friends, Tracy's dream becomes a reality.)
But fast forward a couple years, and Baltimore becomes home
to one of the largest race riots in U.S. history. In 1968, a riot broke out two
days after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. While riots occurred in various U.S. cities, the riots lasted 8 days in Baltimore, and required tens of thousands of National Guard troops and Maryland State Police to restore public order.
Through the power of song and music, Hairspray highlights the social disparities and racial tension that led to the riot. While entertaining, Hairspray still challenges us to reflect on an uncomfortable and ugly part of American history, and the serious costs attributed to social inequality.
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