John Waters Brings Hairspray to Life in Houston
“The Pope of Trash” will share stories and laughs on November 14.
John Waters returns to Houston with a live commentary for his movie Hairspray on November 14 at the Hobby Center. Arthouse Houston and Houston Cinema Arts Festival are bringing the director to town for a cinematic experience titled Their Hair Was Perfect, But the World Was a Mess, which includes both a pre-show reel of trailers and a Q&A with the audience.
Houston audiences may have previously seen him at the Heights Theater for A John Waters Christmas or at Jones Hall for his monologue Devil’s Advocate. But this screening and commentary will be something quite different from what Houstonians might expect from the self-proclaimed “Pope of Trash.”
Hairspray takes place in 1962 Baltimore, where The Corny Collins Show—an after-school dance special featuring the best dance moves from local white teens—is in every home. Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) and Penny Pingleton (Leslie Ann Powers) watch every day, much to the chagrin of their parents. After attending an open call, Tracy gets cast on the show and brings unexpected energy as the show’s first “bigger” girl, and the one most vocal in her calls for racial integration.
The film draws inspiration from Waters’ own experience growing up in Baltimore with The Buddy Deane Show during the push to end segregation. While Hairspray has an important message about inclusion and prejudice, it never loses sight of the comedy and avoids narrative ploys to convince viewers. “That’s maybe the power of Hairspray,” says director and writer Waters. “Even racists like it because they were too stupid to know that it was making fun of them.”
Divine’s portrayal of Edna Turnblad adds another dimension to the humor. Some audiences understand that Divine is a drag queen, but it’s never made explicit; it’s simply a wink to the audience. This is part of the subversive power of Waters’ work: he knows exactly what he’s doing and enjoys letting everyone else figure it out for themselves. The title of his Houston program, Their Hair Was Perfect, But the World Was a Mess, comes from Waters’ original tagline for the film. “It was the tagline I wanted!” Waters exclaims. “But they didn’t use it at first.” Its reuse for this program is a reclamation of Waters’ vision for the film.
These sometimes overlooked and multi-layered histories are exactly the sorts of things audiences can expect to hear at this live event, like Debby Harry and Tab Hunter singing onscreen together—a sort of “Old Wave Meets New Wave,” as Waters puts it. Even Sonny Bono’s casting hearkens to some little-known history.
“When Bono started out, he was the A&R man for Specialty Records, a record company that did almost 100 percent Black rhythm and blues. It was Little Richard’s label. When people think of Sonny and Cher, they don’t think anything about his rhythm and blues roots, but that’s one of the reasons he made the movie. And if you think about it, he was running for mayor of Palm Springs at the time and played a racist in Hairspray. That’s pretty brave.”
The film celebrated its 35th anniversary last year and was inducted into the National Film Registry. Surprisingly, it was preceded in the registry by John Waters’ infamous Pink Flamingos.
“I’m trying to think of the National Registry screening when they’re watching the singing asshole in Pink Flamingos and say, ‘Yes, this really should go into the National Registry,’” Waters jokes.
While Hairspray may not have any similar shocking moments, it’s just as surprising that the film has now entered the canon. The PG rating makes it more approachable, as proven by its box office success of $6.7 million at the time, but Waters’ subversive voice is clear throughout. It’s a testament to the timeless nature of his films.
Hairspray and Pink Flamingos are now sources of inspiration—cultural touchpoints that were long relegated to mere shock or comedy titles. Hairspray’s musical adaptation, movie-musical iteration, and potential return to Broadway are all obvious examples of how the film continues to inspire new generations. Similarly, Waters’ current stint as a touring performer allows audiences to experience the film through a historical lens, but also as a contemporary performance.
Those who have been longtime Waters fans—as well as those who have just recently seen the newest Criterion Collection restorations of Pink Flamingos and Multiple Maniacs—won’t want to miss Waters taking live questions from the audience after the Houston screening. “You can ask anything! That becomes very freewheeling about what we can talk about.” Waters says. “One time a girl said, ‘My father told me he almost went home with you in a bar one night.’ I said, ‘Well, tell him Hi!”
“If you make somebody laugh about their fears, they’ll reconsider how
they think. make them laugh, maybe have sex with them, and then you try to change their opinion!” —John Waters
For Waters, comedy itself is political. It’s an invitation for audiences to look at themselves and others in a whole new light. “My films are able to make you look at everybody in a different way. If you make somebody laugh about their fears, they’ll reconsider how they think. And that’s what we should even do in this election. Don’t make your enemies feel stupid. You make them laugh, maybe have sex with them, and then you try to change their opinion!”
Waters mentions that he needs to end our interview and run off to another Buddy Deaners Dinner Party, an annual gathering of the former Baltimore teens who danced on The Buddy Deane Show. Those 80-year-old dinner guests will be doing The Roach (“without irony!” Waters notes). Hopefullly, Houston audiences bring that same level of enthusiasm to the Hobby Center to welcome Waters back to Houston.
What: John Waters’ live commentary during a screening of Hairspray
When: November 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Hobby Center
Info: arthousetx.org
