The Muny Announces Principal Cast for Season-Opening Production of ‘Hairspray’

ST. LOUIS — Katy Geraghty, John Bolton, Sara Gettelfinger, Charity Angél Dawson, Paul Schwensen, Madison Thompson, Ben Jackson Walker, Ashlynn Maddox, Nicholas A. Wilkinson, Hannah Solow, Kevin Zak and Joy Elizabeth Rhodes will star alongside previously announced Richard Kind in the Muny production of Hairspray, which opens the theatre’s 108th season this summer in Forest Park.

Hairspray, the musical comedy based on John Waters’ cult classic 1988 film and winner of eight Tony Awards, runs June 15-21 and is presented by Emerson.

The production is led by Seth Sklar-Heyn (director), Jesse Robb (choreographer) and Evan Roider (music director/conductor).

“What a great, exciting, funny show to kick off Season 108,” said Muny Artistic Director & Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. “This extraordinary group of artists will bring humor, power and undeniable joy to our stage. In the words of Tracy Turnblad, ‘Let’s dance!’”

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KATY GERAGHTY (Tracy Turnblad) returns to The Muny after appearing in Bring It On (Bridget) last summer and Sister Act (Sister Mary Patrick) in 2023. Broadway: Into the Woods (Little Red, Broadway replacement and national tour), Groundhog Day (original Broadway cast). Favorite theatre credits: Oklahoma! (Gertie Cummings, Carnegie Hall), & Juliet (pre-Broadway Toronto run), Bliss (world premiere at 5th Avenue Theatre), Hairspray (Tracy Turnblad, Oregon Shakespeare Festival) and Shrek The Musical (Gingy, North Shore Music Theatre).

RICHARD KIND (Edna Turnblad) Broadway: The Big Knife (Drama Desk Award, supporting actor; Tony nomination, featured actor in a play); The Producers (Broadway, Hollywood Bowl, West End); Dirty Rotten Scoundrels; Sly Fox; The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife; Kiss Me, Kate; All In. Regional: Sondheim’s Bounce (Goodman Theatre, Kennedy Center); Candide (New York City Opera at Lincoln Center); Once in a Lifetime (Guthrie Theatre); Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, The Front Page (Williamstown Theatre Festival); Power Failure (Actors Studio Free Theatre Co.); The Seagull (Matrix Theatre); The Second City in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles; 12 Angry Men; Enemy of the People. Film: Argo, Inside Out, Hereafter, Beau Is Afraid, Bombshell, A Serious Man, The Visitor, Cars, The Station Agent, A Bug’s Life, Mr. Saturday Night, Clifford, Stargate. TV (series regular): East New York, The Watcher, Red Oaks, Luck, Spin City, Mad About You, Big Mouth, Young Sheldon, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Goldbergs, Brockmire, The Other Two, Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney, Only Murders in the Building.

JOHN BOLTON (Wilbur Turnblad) returns to The Muny after playing Nick last season in Come From Away. He starred on Broadway in Anastasia, Dames at Sea, A Christmas Story, Curtains and How to Succeed and was in the original Broadway companies of Spamalot, Contact and Titanic, all of which won the Tony Award for best musical. He made his Broadway debut alongside Jerry Lewis in Damn Yankees. Mr. Bolton toured the US as The Wizard in Wicked and as Horace Vandergelder in Hello, Dolly! Nominated for Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Astaire, Chita Rivera and Lortel awards, Mr. Bolton headlined several NY Pops concerts at Carnegie Hall and was a soloist with the NY Philharmonic at Lincoln Center. TV: The Equalizer, FBI, Girls5Eva, The Blacklist, Madam Secretary, Evil, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Elementary, Gossip Girl, Blue Bloods, The Good Wife, Boardwalk Empire and more.

SARA GETTELFINGER (Velma Von Tussle) most recently starred as Robyn in The Roommate at ATC (directed by Marsha Mason) and as Mother! in the critically acclaimed world premiere of The Last Bimbo of the Apocalypse at The New Group NYC. Other Broadway/national tours: Water for Elephants (Barbara), The Addams Family (Morticia), A Free Man of Color (Dona Athene), The 101 Dalmatians Musical (Cruella de Vil), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Jolene Oakes), Nine (Carla), The Boys From Syracuse, Seussical, Fosse. Other NYC/regional: High Society, The Cher Show, Carnival!, Tenderloin, Chicago, Grey Gardens, Anything Goes, Pippin. TV/film: Guiding Light, Ed, Without a Trace, Georgetown, The Big C, Forbidden Love, Sex and the City: The Movie and The Man With the Bag (coming to theatres and streaming later this year).

CHARITY ANGÉL DAWSON (Motormouth Maybelle) Broadway credits include & Juliet (Nurse/Angelique), Chicago (Mama Morton), Mrs. Doubtfire (Wanda Sellner), Waitress (Nurse Norma/Becky, including the filmed production streaming on HBO), Side Show (Fortune Teller). Off-Broadway: Disaster (Lavora). Tours: Dreamgirls (Effie White), The Color Purple (Darlene). Regional: Hercules at Paper Mill Playhouse (Muse/Clio); Ain’t Misbehavin’ at Portland Center Stage; Kiss Me, Kate at Hartford Stage Company (Hattie); The Wiz (Evillene).

PAUL SCHWENSEN (Corny Collins) returns to The Muny after performing as Dean in All Shook Up in 2017. Originally from Vermilion, Ohio, Paul began his acting career at age 6, performing in Bye Bye Birdie with his parents. Most recently, Paul was seen on Broadway as Elder Price in The Book of Mormon. He performed in the national tours of Wicked (u/s Fiyero), Miss Saigon (u/s Chris) and the Atlanta tryout of Becoming Nancy. Paul appeared as Luke in the Starz series Three Women. Favorite regional credits include Houston Broadway Theatre, ACT of Connecticut, The Arvada Center and Quisisana.

MADISON THOMPSON (Amber Von Tussle) is a SAG Award-nominated actress best known for her role as Erin Pierce in Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning series Ozark and can currently be seen in HBO’s hit drama Euphoria. Her previous credits include the Emmy-nominated musical series Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, a prequel to the beloved classic Grease; Lasse Hallström’s The Map That Leads to You for Prime Video, which immediately hit No. 1 on the streamer upon release; and Prime Video’s Emergency, an official selection at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, among others. Outside of acting, Thompson is a producer on the hit Tubi Sidelined franchise, the off-Broadway play Pretty Perfect Lives and the upcoming musical Like Father, premiering at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre.

BEN JACKSON WALKER (Link Larkin) originated the role of Romeo in the Toronto and Broadway productions of & Juliet and reprised the role on the UK tour. On screen, he made his film debut as Gary in the Paramount+ comedy Honor Society and can next be seen in the Netflix feature Just Picture It starring Millie Bobby Brown. Television credits include guest starring roles in the series finale of Orange Is the New Black and Evil. A native of Wilmington, Del., he is a graduate of the prestigious musical theatre program at the University of Michigan. His original music is streaming on all major platforms.

ASHLYN MADDOX (Penny Pingleton) makes her Muny debut. Select theatre credits: Parade (Broadway/NYCC), A Christmas Carol (PAC NYC), Bull Durham (Paper Mill Playhouse), Bye Bye Birdie (Kennedy Center), Ride the Cyclone (Arena/McCarter). TV: Rabbit, Rabbit (Netflix); The Four Seasons (Netflix); Law & Order (NBC).

NICHOLAS A. WILKINSON (Seaweed J. Stubbs) Regional: 42nd Street (Ensemble, Broadway At Music Circus), Disney’s Frozen (Kristoff, Encore Musical Theatre Company), Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (Mike Nulty, Weston Theater Company), Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: The Musical (Teenager/City Worker, Weston Theater Company). BFA in musical theatre, University of Michigan.

HANNAH SOLOW (Female Authority Figure) is currently understudy to Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary!, written by Cole Escola and directed by Sam Pinkleton, at The Lyceum Theatre on Broadway. Off-Broadway: Oh, Mary! National tour: Oklahoma!, directed by Daniel Fish. As a comedian, her original characters and songs have been performed in every basement in New York City. Former house performer at Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. BFA: NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

KEVIN ZAK (Male Authority Figure) returns to The Muny after performing in The Little Mermaid (Flotsam) in 2017 and Mamma Mia! in 2016. Kevin is the writer and director of the off-Broadway comedies Ginger Twinsies and A Kidman Carol. He has been involved as an actor or creative on such productions as Rob Lake Magic With Special Guests The Muppets, Death Becomes Her, Waitress, Clinton the Musical (Lucille Lortel nomination) and Silence! The Musical (off-Broadway, UK).

JOY ELIZABETH RHODES (Little Inez) is 11 years old and returning for her second season as a member of the Muny Kids troupe. She made her Muny debut last summer in the Youth Ensemble for Disney’s Frozen. Joy trains in voice, acting and dance at the Center of Creative Arts. She is a member of the Allegro Vocal Company, under the direction of Dr. Philip A. Woodmore and Mr. Tre’von Griffith. She has danced since age 3 and is a company dancer at Expressions Academy of Dance and a convention assistant with Activate Your Artistry.

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Additional casting will be announced. The Telsey Office is the official casting partner of The Muny.

The design team for Hairspray includes Paige Parkhill (associate choreographer); Jennifer Florentino (assistant choreographer); Derek Shorter (associate music director); Christine Peters (scenic designer); Tristan Raines (costume designer); Rob Denton (lighting designer); Joshua Hummel (sound designer); Nathan Scheuer (video designer); Ashley Rae Callahan (wig designer); Bonnie Panson (production stage manager); and The Telsey Office/Rashad Naylor, CSA (casting).

The Muny artistic staff includes Artistic Director & Executive Producer Mike Isaacson, Associate Artistic Director Michael Baxter, Director of Production Tracy Utzmyers, and Music Supervisors Michael Horsley and Evan Roider.

Hairspray was last seen at The Muny in 2015, and Tracy Turnblad is ready to move to the beat of a changing world! It’s 1962 in Baltimore, and the lovable plus-size teen dreams of dancing on The Corny Collins Show. When her wish comes true, Tracy rockets from social outcast to sudden star. But she’ll need more than great moves to dethrone the teen queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate the popular TV show once and for all. Winner of eight Tony Awards, Hairspray is a rockin’ dance-filled, joyous musical with big hair, big heart and big fun. 

Hairspray has a book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. Based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters.

Hairspray is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International. All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.

Performances of Hairspray begin at 8:15 p.m. nightly, June 15-21. Season 108 at The Muny also includes Shrek The Musical (June 25-July 2), Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific (July 6-12), Disney’s Newsies (July 16-22), Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations (July 27-Aug. 2), Meet Me In St. Louis (Aug. 6-13) and Something Rotten! (Aug. 17-23).

New season tickets start at just $126 and are on sale now at muny.org, by phone at (314) 595-5750 or at the Muny Box Office in Forest Park (9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday). Single-performance Muny tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. May 18.

A 20% group discount is available for parties of 15 or more. To start the free reservation process, visit muny.org/groups or call (314) 595-5708.

Visit muny.org/hairspray to read content notes and more about Hairspray.

Photos, logos and other promotional assets are available in the Muny Press Room.

Now in its 108th season in St. Louis, The Muny — the recipient of the 2025 Regional Theatre Tony Award — is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to producing exceptional musical theatre that is accessible to all, continuing its remarkable tradition in Forest Park. As the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre, The Muny welcomes more than 300,000 patrons each summer for seven world-class productions, each built from the ground up in St. Louis. Learn more at muny.org, and follow along at facebook.com/munytheatre, instagram.com/themuny and youtube.com/themunytv.