From the overweight, overprotective mother played by a man to the skinny, innocent, sidekick friend, the characters in Hairspray kept the audience in Eisenhower Auditorium rolling in laughter from beginning to end.

In this musical, based on one girl's dream to become a local television singing and dancing sensation, several issues were explored, including segregation in 1962 Baltimore, the relationships between mother and daughter and the stereotypical standard of beauty. The slightly more mature comedy takes a humorous spin on subjects such as race, weight, politics and dating.

The lead character, Tracy Turnblad, played by Brooklynn Pulver, was competing against Amber Von Tussle, played by Pearl Thomas, for the Miss Teenage Hairspray 1962 crown and the heart of hunky soc-hop television show star, Link Larkin, played by Constantine Rousouli. The never-ending jabs between the characters of Amber and Tracy kept the audience chuckling throughout the entire show, and the actors pulled off the characters very well with their attitudes, voice inflections and body language.

The audience members weren't the only ones laughing. When Edna Turnblad, played by Jerry O'Boyle, and husband Wilbur, played by Dan Ferretti, performed their duet, "Timeless to Me," O'Boyle had to wait until he stopped laughing to continue the love song.

O'Boyle's character, a large woman who always dreamed of designing a clothing line, and her significantly smaller, joke-shop owning husband had great chemistry on stage.

The pair made it clear to the audience that throughout this comedic performance they were having just as much fun, if not more, than everyone else. Throughout the show, whenever O'Boyle took the stage, the audience was guaranteed to laugh.

Toward the end whenever O'Boyle came out on stage, he was greeted with a large applause.

Another great character role that was impressively performed was the role of Tracy's best friend, Penny Pingleton. Played by Alyssa Malgeri, the sidekick changed her tone for dramatic and comedic impact. Her voice ranged from a high, sweet teenage girl voice to a deep, slow-speaking voice reminiscent of Finding Nemo's "Dory." All the while, she chewed bubble gum and made absent-minded remarks to add to the humor of the show.

By combining the show's humor with the cast's impressive vocals and in-synch dance moves, Hairspray entertained and also left the audience believing in optimism, passion and the idea that something worth having is worth fighting for.