Since the show announcement, the industry has already been buzzing and speculating about what stars may be featured in the live production. Based on the success of Grease Live!, it is a logical move by NBC to select another classic high school themed show. Since its 1988 release, the story had a stint on broadway and was remade in the 2007 movie, starring prominent teen figures of the time including Zac Efron, Brittany Snow, and Amanda Bynes. During her journey, she experiences the events that shaped the 1960s including the Civil Rights Movement.

Hairspray, which originally hit theaters in 1988, tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, a fan of the music-performance show The Corny Collins Show, and her journey to starring on the show. Like Grease, the plot of Hairspray centers around high school students and their triumphs only, this time, the story takes place in 1960s Baltimore. Only a few weeks after the success of Grease Live!, NBC announced its next live musical, Hairspray, which will air in December 2016.

The show, which tells the story of friendships and of course, romances, of some high school kids in the 1950s, was ranked the best-rated live musical production since 2013’s The Sound of Music Live!, according to Nielsen. Most recently, FOX produced the critically-acclaimed, Grease Live! starring Julianne Hough and Aaron Trevit which premiered in January. Since its premiere, NBC has followed up with two more productions and other big networks have also joined suit. The live TV musical trend first began in 2013 when NBC premiered The Sound of Music Live!, starring country darling Carrie Underwood. THE SHOW MUST GO ON… and it will! Live musicals seem to be the latest trend on television, with millions of viewers tuning in to see extravagant broadway-worthy productions from the comfort of their own home.

Hairspray live album download