Hairspray, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, until Saturday, April 20

A remarkable professional debut from 22-year-old Freya Sutton makes it a night to remember in Southampton.

Just as he was always going to be, Mark Benton is terrific as the buxom, rather-butch Edna Turnblad, the mother hen with the heart of gold.

But the show rightly belongs to Sutton as Edna’s sparky daughter Tracy, a girl with the sense to like herself for who she is – and along the way strikes a massive blow for racial integration.

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Marginalised for being somewhat tubbier than the willowy girls who shine on TV, Tracy aligns herself with the black community marginalised because of the colour of their skin.

Together, they’re a formidable alliance – and they make things happen, bringing the house down in a fantastic finale which sends everyone home smiling.

This is a musical which nails some serious issues from equality to self-belief, from strength of character to courage of conviction – but its brilliance is that it is never for a moment preachy or po-faced.

It’s a blast from start to finish, helped by some wonderful choreography, top performances all round and a host of songs which will have you arguing all the way home as to which one was the best. The real answer is that they all were.

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Hairspray is the ultimate breath of fresh air – a feel-good stage show which will still feel good the next morning.

Lucy Benjamin gives lovely support as Velma Von Tussle, not least when she gets her come-uppance.

Phil Hewitt

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