Former Miss O’Fallon, OTHS graduate Kaelee Albritton ready for ‘Hairspray’ homecoming
Wearing an exaggerated beehive hairdo and playing the snotty teen queen Amber Von Tussle, — the arch nemesis of lovable Tracy Turnblad in “Hairspray” on tour — Kaelee Albritton is living her dream as she returned home to O’Fallon this week.
She’s part of the new North American tour of the Tony Award-winning musical comedy, which stops at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis from Tuesday, April 5, through Saturday, April 9.
A large contingent of family and friends plan to be there, said her mother, Shannon Harris Albritton-Maxedon.
While she is home, Kaelee Albritton will conduct a master class at Stages St. Louis and at O’Fallon Township High School, her alma mater.
Albritton, a 2015 OTHS graduate, participated in plays and musicals, show choir, chamber choir and Madrigals.
She played the same role in the spring musical, on her way to becoming a ‘triple threat” — a performer who can sing, dance and act.
The role of Amber is described as “Bratty, selfish resident princess of ‘The Corny Collins Show’ — despite her lack of talent. She is willing to do anything to win the Miss Teenage Hairspray pageant.” Her mother, Velma Von Tussle, is the show’s villainess, the scheming producer of the dance show.
Albritton will be in the numbers “The Nicest Kids in Town,” “Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now,” “The Big Dollhouse,” the grand finale of “You Can’t Stop the Beat,” and take the lead on “Cooties.”
Bitten by the acting bug early on, Albritton made her musical theater debut in seventh grade as Belle in “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” at Fulton Junior High School, then went on to play the Leading Player in “Pippin,” Kay Banks in “Father of the Bride” and Marvalyn in “Almost, Maine” at OTHS.
A versatile performer, she was cast in local community theater productions, gaining experience in “Legally Blonde” at Looking Glass Playhouse in Lebanon and in “Guys and Dolls,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Into the Woods” with Brass Rail Players in Belleville.
As Rapunzel in “Into the Woods,” she was nominated for an Arts For Life Best Performance Award in 2015, which recognizes excellence in community theater in the St. Louis metropolitan region.
Crowned Miss O’Fallon in 2014, Albritton went on to earn a bachelor’s in fine arts degree in musical theater at the University of Mississippi in 2019. While at Ole Miss, she was cast in “Assassins,” “Cabaret,” “Hair,” “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,” “The Wedding Singer,” “Heathers the Musical,” and as Roxie Hart in “Chicago.” Albritton’s performance as Roxie earned her an Irene Ryan nomination for the 2017-2018 season.
She worked in shows at the amusement park Hersheypark in Hershey, Pa., and was one of 10 semi-finalists in Broadway.com’s “The Search for Roxie Hart,” co-sponsored by the Broadway musical “Chicago.”
After college, she moved to Brooklyn, New York City.
The “Hairspray” tour is arriving from Huntsville, Alabama, and will take off for Fort Wayne, Indiana, after the St. Louis run. Among upcoming Illinois cities are Champaign on Monday, April 18, and Springfield on Tuesday, April 19. The tour is booked through June 2023.
Cast for musical
The “Hairspray” cast features 34 individuals and is led by Andrew Levitt, aka “Nina West” from “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” as Edna Turnblad; Niki Metcalf as Tracy; Sandie Lee as Motormouth Maybelle; Billy Dawson as Corny Collins; Will Savarese as Link Larkin; Emery Henderson as Penny Pingleton; Jamonte D. Bruten as Seaweed J. Stubbs; and Addison Garner as Velma Von Tussle.
This is Albritton’s first experience on the road. She worked with original director Jack O’Brien and original choreographer Jerry Mitchell to prepare for her national tour debut.
“It’s a brand-new world we find ourselves in today, and “Hairspray” is even more relevant than 20 years ago when it first burst onto the scene. With the renewed, refreshed energy of the unforgettable ‘Nina West’ as Edna and a whole new generation of wildly talented kids across the board, we cannot wait to raise the roofs once more with dance, joy, music, and that glorious, famous, energy-packed score!” O’Brien said.
More about ‘Hairspray’
The tour director is Matt Lenz, who is a frequent director at The Muny — including “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aida” — and the music supervisor is Lon Hoyt, another Muny alum. The tour is produced by NETworks Presentations.
The 2002 Broadway musical, which won eight Tony Awards and ran for 2,642 performances through Jan. 4, 2009, is the 22nd longest running show in Broadway history. It features music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Willman.
It’s based on the 1988 film by John Waters about Tracy Turnblad, 16 in 1960s Baltimore as she has her heart set on dancing on TV’s most popular show in Baltimore, “The Corny Collins Show.” But can a girl with big dreams — and even bigger hair — change the world?
Showtimes, ticket info
Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, through Saturday, April 9.; 1 p.m. Thursday, April 7; and 2 p.m. Saturday, April 9.
To purchase tickets, visit MetroTix.com or call MetroTix at 314-534-1111. Ticket prices start at $25.
Learn more about the new touring production at www.hairspraytour.com or visit www.fabulousfox.com.