Hairspray - TNT

A feel-good show with not one but two serious messages to impart, this musical adaptation of John Waters' 1988 film arrives hard on the heels of the updated movie version and is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Newcomer Leanne Jones is terrific as Tracy Turnblad, the big-haired and bigger-hearted teen who doesn't conform to the slinky stereotype of her peers on the local Baltimore TV talent show — though she must surely have already shrunk a dress size to execute the moves she's taught by her equally ostracised black friends. Michael Ball is unrecognisable as her ever-hungry laundress mum, and — with its vibrant '60s pastiche songs and sparkling choreography — this is a triumph for Ball's fake sagging boobs and everybody out there who's carrying a few too many extra kilos.
Shaftesbury Theatre, Shaftesbury Ave, WC2 (020- 7379 5399). Until October 25. £60-£20