ONE of the biggest feelgood hits of the past couple of decades is set to return to the Alhambra Theatre in summer next year.

It's a welcome to the 60s as Hairspray calls at the Bradford theatre from July 19-24 in a show rescheduled from September this year.

The setting is Baltimore, 1962, where Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, is on a mission to follow her dreams and dance her way onto national TV.

Tracy’s audition makes her a local star and soon she is using her new-found fame to fight for equality on The Corny Collins Show - bagging local heartthrob Link Larkin along the way.

Hairspray is a musical based on the 1988 film of the same name which starred Divine and Ricki Lake by cult filmmaker John Waters.

With music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman and book by Mark O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan, the stage version opened to rave reviews on Broadway in 2002 and subsequently won eight Tony Awards.

The production opened in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2007 and won four Laurence Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, Best Actress in a Musical and Best Performance in a Supporting Role.

Following the musical’s phenomenal success on stage across the world - opening in places like South Africa, Japan, South Korea, China and Dubai - a film of the musical was released in 2007 which starred Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Zac Efron, Amanda Bynes and James Marsden.

Grease star John Travolta took on the larger-than-life character of Tracy’s mum Edna Turnblad, who runs a laundry business from home and is not keen on going out of the house.

The stage production production features music and lyrics by Academy Award, Tony and Emmy winning duo Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Expect to hear hit songs including Welcome To The 60s, You Can’t Stop The Beat, The Nicest Kids in Town and many more.

Previous shows have received rave reviews. The Observer said it was “as light and bouncy as a bubble of gum”, The Stage said it was a “wonderfully fresh and vivid production”, while The Stage said it presented a “near perfect balance of book and music, celebrating mankind’s capacity for change and acceptance”.

Hairspray was originally a 1988 American comedy-drama film written and directed by John Waters, and starring Ricki Lake, Divine, Debbie Harry, Sonny Bono and Jerry Stiller.

Visit bradford-theatres.co.uk or call 01274 432000 to book tickets for Hairspray