The hairspray is back. The music is ready to play. And Tracy Turnblad is about to step into the spotlight once again.
Scenario Productions is bringing Hairspray – The Broadway Musical back to South Africa from 22 October to 7 November 2026, marking the production’s first professional South African staging since 2007.
The show will take over Die Centurion Teater in Centurion, promising big voices, explosive dancing, larger-than-life characters and the infectious energy that has made Hairspray a beloved musical.
For South African theatre lovers, the production also carries a sense of occasion. It will be the first professional staging of Hairspray on home soil in nearly two decades.
And while the show is packed with colour, comedy and Broadway spectacle, its heart beats to a much bigger rhythm.
A Teenager. A Television Show. A Revolution.
Set in 1960s Baltimore, Hairspray follows Tracy Turnblad, a big-hearted teenager with dreams that are impossible to ignore.
Tracy wants to dance on The Corny Collins Show, the hottest teen dance programme in town.
When she finally gets her opportunity to enter the spotlight, however, Tracy discovers that fame is not simply about popularity.
The television world around her is shaped by unfair rules and divisions.
Soon, her dream of dancing becomes something much bigger.
Tracy challenges the barriers separating people on television, at school and throughout society. Along the way, her determination becomes a joyful fight for integration, acceptance and equality.
It is this combination of feel-good entertainment and meaningful storytelling that continues to define Hairspray.
Meet Tracy Turnblad
Leading the cast is Carley Janse Van Vuuren as Tracy Turnblad.
The energetic and fearless character will be played by an Afrikaans acoustic folk musician, singer-songwriter and stage performer who first gained national television recognition as a contestant on Die Kontrak.
Carley has released original music including Baadjie, Red Light and Wag vir Jou. In 2026, she also led an international company’s Chappell Roan tribute show.
Now, Hairspray marks her professional musical-theatre debut.
A Mother-Daughter Story Takes Centre Stage
Taking on the iconic role of Tracy’s mother, Edna Turnblad, is Thiart Li, also known as Shenay O’Brien.
Edna is Tracy’s loving and traditional mother, while Thiart brings a wealth of stage and screen experience to the production.
His credits include Ons vir Jou, Calling Us Home, Semi-Soet die Musiekblyspel, Geagte Kampeerders, Molly & Wors, Binnelanders, Generations and Shrek Jr.
Through his drag persona, Shenay O’Brien, Thiart also became the first drag artist to compete on Idols SA, reaching the Top 16 in 2015.
Meet the Forces Standing in Tracy’s Way
Nadia Beukes takes on the role of Velma Von Tussle, the snobbish and bigoted producer of The Corny Collins Show.
Velma is determined to protect her version of the status quo and will go to great lengths to stop Tracy’s growing popularity.
Nadia’s career includes two seasons hosting Boer Soek ‘n Vrou on kykNET, as well as an appearance on Binnelanders.
Her musical-theatre credits include The Sound of Music, for which she received both Naledi and Fleur du Cap nominations.
In 2026, she also made her directing debut with Ingrid: ‘n Vlam in die Sneeu, produced by Scenario Productions.
Meanwhile, Abby De Villiers plays Amber Von Tussle, Velma’s glamorous and vain daughter.
Amber is Tracy’s rival for the coveted Miss Hairspray crown.
Abby’s stage credits include Die Gelofte, Die Kaplyn and Ons Vir Jou. Alongside her performing career, she is studying for an LLB at Akademia.
Motormouth Maybelle Brings the Power
Few characters in Hairspray carry the presence of Motormouth Maybelle.
The powerful rhythm-and-blues singer and DJ, and mother of Seaweed and Little Inez, will be played by Gugu Dhlamini.
Motormouth is courageous, commanding and unwilling to remain silent when confronted by injustice.
Gugu’s theatre credits include Janice Honeyman’s Jack and the Beanstalk and Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, Disney’s The Magic Box and Pretty Woman, where she worked as Vocal Swing and Kit understudy.
She also works as a voice-over artist and has appeared in several television commercials.
Her on-stage children are played by TeeKay Baloyi as Seaweed J. Stubbs and Mbali Hlomela as Little Inez.
TeeKay brings extensive professional experience to the role. His work includes several Joburg Theatre pantomimes, the National Children’s Theatre, the State Theatre and the Breytenbach Theatre.
His experience also spans musical-theatre direction and choreography, dance captain work, conducting and drama education. He is currently completing a PhD focused on contemporary South African musical theatre.
Mbali’s musical-theatre experience includes Cabaret, Sweeney Todd and Hansel and Gretel, with experience across characterisation, physical theatre, vocal performance, movement and ensemble collaboration.
The Turnblads, The Pingletons and The Corny Collins Show
Carl Trautman plays Wilbur Turnblad, Edna’s devoted husband and Tracy’s quirky father, who owns a joke shop.
Carl’s career spans theatre, film, television, voice-over, radio drama and commercial performance. His theatre credits include Die Gelofte, Die Kaplyn, Die Afrikaner Maak So and Ons Vir Jou, while his screen work includes Die Fakulteit, Diepe Waters and A Moment in Time.
The charismatic Corny Collins will be played by Klaus-Louis Jansen Van Vuuren.
As the smooth-talking host of Baltimore’s hottest television dance show, Corny has a progressive attitude and becomes an advocate for giving Tracy and others a place in the spotlight.
Klaus’s stage credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof and The Fatherland. His producing work also includes classical music projects such as Die Karoo Kunslied.
Then there is Penny Pingleton, Tracy’s loyal and delightfully quirky best friend, played by Caitlyn Hunkin.
Penny’s sheltered world begins to change when she falls in love with Seaweed and starts finding the courage to become her own person.
Caitlyn’s professional work includes Hooked on Books, National Children’s Theatre productions of The Wonderful World of Beatrix Potter and The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, as well as the ensemble of Scenario Productions’ Sweeney Todd.
She is also a dance teacher working towards additional teaching qualifications in Hip Hop and Tap.
Penny’s extremely strict mother, Prudy Pingleton, will be played by Phillipa Higgins.
Prudy’s conservative and closed-minded approach provides some of the show’s biggest laughs as she attempts to control her daughter.
Phillipa writes and releases original music and has toured New Zealand and Australia as a lead vocalist in The Dancing Queen Show, an ABBA tribute.
After almost five years in the Netherlands, Hairspray marks her professional musical-theatre debut.
The Dynamites Are Ready
Adding even more sparkle, energy and attitude to the production are The Dynamites, played by Yaounde Mabaso, Lumka Dumezweni and Sindisiwe Mjali.
Completing the company are Boris Petrenko, Christian Beyra Martinez, Jess Van Der Merwe, Kristoan Hattingh-Van Wyk, Nicole Brown, Rainy Van Zyl, Thuso Lobeko, Vivienne Dirkse Van Schalkwyk and Wilf Mahne.
Together, the company will bring the music, movement, comedy and larger-than-life world of Hairspray back to the stage.
A Creative Team Built for Broadway Energy
The production is directed and executive produced by award-winning theatre duo Tiaan Kirsten-Lubbe and Lian Sachse.
They are joined by Luigia Casaleggio as Musical Director and Pinto Ferreira as Choreographer.
The creative team also includes Ashleigh Hilton as Set and Costume Designer, Tiaan Kirsten-Lubbe as Lighting Designer and Kieran Pritchard as Sound Engineer.
Together, the team will bring the vibrant visual world of 1960s Baltimore to Die Centurion Teater while delivering the scale and theatrical energy associated with one of Broadway’s most beloved feel-good musicals.
More Than Just a Dance Floor
For Kirsten-Lubbe and Sachse, bringing Hairspray back to South Africa is about more than simply reviving a popular musical.
They say the production’s themes of equality, inclusion and acceptance continue to resonate.
“While the show is bursting with colour, comedy, incredible music and spectacular dancing, at its heart is a very important message about equality, inclusion and acceptance.”
They describe Tracy’s journey as a reminder that nobody should be excluded because of who they are, what they look like or where they come from.
The directors also hope audiences leave entertained and uplifted, while being reminded of the power of embracing differences.
Nearly 20 Years Later, The Message Still Moves
The significance of this production is clear.
South African audiences have not had a professional staging of Hairspray since 2007.
Now, nearly 20 years later, Scenario Productions is bringing the musical back with a new generation of performers and a story centred on acceptance, individuality and standing up against exclusion.
But beneath the social themes is something just as important.
Joy.
It is the joy of dancing when someone tells you to sit down.
It is the courage to find your voice when someone tells you to be quiet.
It is the freedom to embrace who you are.
And it is the belief that one person with enough determination can inspire an entire community to move.
From 22 October to 7 November 2026, Die Centurion Teater will become Baltimore.
The music will play.
The hairspray will fly.
And Tracy Turnblad will once again step into the spotlight.
Hairspray is back — and South Africa is getting ready to dance.
SHOW DETAILS
Presented by: Scenario Productions
Production: Hairspray – The Broadway Musical
Dates: 22 October – 7 November 2026
Venue: Die Centurion Teater, 123 Amkor Road, Centurion
Tickets: From R350
Bookings: https://qkt.io/HairsprayTheMusicalCT26
Follow Die Centurion Teater across its social media platforms for updates.
