Original ‘Hairspray’ Star Ricki Lake Gives Her Blessing to Current Cast Backstage at Tour Opening

From one Tracy Turnblad to another, the story of a teenage girl and her goal of dancing her way onto TV’s most popular show is continuing! On Tuesday, the Hairspray Musical held its opening night at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, with original Hairspray star Ricki Lake officially giving her stamp of approval when a quartet of Tracys showed up for opening night.

Lake, who portrayed the iconic character in the original version of Hairspray in 1988, was photographed backstage during intermission alongside three other actors who have stepped into the role of Tracy, including Hairspray Live‘s Maddie Baillio, Hairspray OG Tour’s Carly Jibson, and current Tour Tracy Niki Metcalf, marking the very first time all four of these Tracys have been in one room together. They were joined by Andrew Levitt (aka Nina West), who portrays Tracy’s mother, Edna Turnblad.

The Tracys were far from the only big names in Hollywood to step out Tuesday to celebrate the musical’s Dolby Theater opening. Also taking to the pink carpet and sitting down in the theater to enjoy the show were Oscar and Emmy Winner Jared Harris, Ming Na Wen (Mandalorian, Mulan, Book Of Boba Fett), Charlie Barnett (The Acolyte, You, Russian Doll), Oscar Winner Jared Harris, and Nico Santos (Guardians 3). Others who attended included Lance Bass, Bobby Berk, Charlie Barnett, Frankie Grande, Todrick Hall, Nico Santos, Zeke Smith, Adam Shankman, Jerry Mitchell, Todrick Hall, Tess Holiday, and Garett Clayton. Drag Race stars Shangela, Kornbread, Trixie Mattel, Raja, Eureka O’Hara, Scarlet Envy, Morgan Mcmichaels, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Angeria Paris Vanmichaels, Mariah Paris Balenciaga, and Monet X Change also showed up for the celebrations. Following the show, stars and the show’s cast enjoyed some dancing at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with Owls Brew beverages.

The current Hairspray Musical marks just the latest iteration of the beloved musical. Since Lake’s original performance more than three decades ago, Hairspray has been redone multiple times on Broadway and on the big screen. In 2002, Hairspray was turned into a Broadway musical, with Marissa Jaret Winokur earning Tony Award for her performance as Tracy. Nikki Blonsky was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the 2007 film.

The current musical, featuring the hit songs “Welcome to the ’60s,” “Good Morning Baltimore,” and “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” is at the Dolby Theatre through May 21. You can purchase tickets by clicking here.