Following this year’s unexpectedly snark-proof rendition of The Wiz Live!, NBC looks to be out to further ruin the internet’s mean-spirited good time by airing a musical that’s supposed to be campy. Yes, next year the network will be staging a live production of Hairspray, the Broadway hit based off of John Waters’ 1988 commercial breakout starring Ricki Lake as Tracy Turnblad, a ”pleasantly plump” teen who bridges racial divides in 1962 Baltimore through the power of dance and enormous hairdos. Lake’s co-star, legendary drag queen Divine, died three weeks after the film’s release, leaving some big shoes to fill—both literally and metaphorically—for anyone who takes on the role of Tracy’s doting mother Edna.
The announcement was made at NBC’s presentation at the TCAs earlier today, where the network also announced that Craig Zadan and Neil Meron—who also executive produced The Sound Of Music Live! and Peter Pan Live! for NBC—will return. No casting announcements have been made as of yet, so start teasing those beehives, kids.