Hairspray Fever at Kingsmead

The auditions are over and the pupils of Kingsmead School have been cast for Hairspray: The School Musical. We have had tears of happiness, tears of sadness and the occasional jump for joy.... and that was just Show and Stay^®. Now the hard work will begin.

Sunday's programme was a roller-coaster ride of emotions as the young hopefuls presented themselves to the panel one last time for the acting stage of the auditions. Denise Van Outen and her fellow judges put the lucky few through their paces with some quite surprising results and some even more surprising attempts at an American accent.

School favourite and teen heart-throb Billy was beaten to the role of 'Link Larkin' by the impossibly cool Francesco, who impressed the judges with his raw acting talent. Bronte pipped Van Outen's favourite Billy Jean at the post for the role of 'Motormouth Maybelle' and the adorable Alex - one of the youngest of the auditonees - was cast in the comical role of 'Wilbur Turnblad'. Despite his obvious nerves at having to kiss the boy cast as 'Edna Turnblad', Alex was overjoyed at the chance to be involved in the project and we have to say we are pretty pleased for him too.

In a dramatic twist, friends Jermaine and Kaydn have both gone through to the rehearsal stages to fight it out to play 'Seaweed', much to the dismay of fellow mate Kyle who was dismissed after the acting auditions. We'll find out this week who will make it through to the final show and after watching a taster clip of the programme to come, our money is on Jermaine.

Saadet claimed the role of leading lady 'Tracy Turnblad' and her overjoyed reaction brought a tear to the eye. Even best friend Ayse, who auditioned for the same role, was genuinely pleased for the aspiring actress hugging Saadet to within an inch of her life.

Now that the roles have been chosen and the scripts distributed, the hard work begins. This Sunday's show is sure to supply a healthy dose of tension, conflict and laughter and Show and Stay cannot wait to see just how good the chosen few are.

Keep an eye on Show and Stay for the latest news and gossip from the show.

Published by: Sam Gilmartin