Music by Marc Shaiman. Lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. Book by Marc O’Donnell and Thomas Meehan. Directed by Sarah Rodgers. A Theatre Under the Stars production. At Malkin Bowl on Tuesday, July 14. Continues until August 21

Vancouver just found its summer hit.

Two moments encapsulate the appeal of Hairspray. On opening night, when Tracy, the plump teen who wants to dance on Baltimore’s Corny Collins Show, kissed Link, the heartthrob, you could almost hear the audience breathing a collective “Yes!” And when Motormouth Maybelle, the host of the dance show’s Negro Day—it’s 1962—sang the civil-rights barnstormer “I Know Where I’ve Been,” the crowd went nuts.

You’ve got to love the celebration of difference at the heart of Hairspray—and the generosity that that celebration releases.

More about the story. The person standing in the way of Tracy’s TV-dancing dreams is The Corny Collins Show’s producer, former beauty queen Velma Von Tussle. Velma’s verboten list includes big girls, black people, and “race music”. But Tracy gets her best dance moves from her black friends, and she leads the charge to integrate the program.

That lands her in the slammer, but gives courage to Tracy’s mom, Edna, who has been so ashamed of her generous proportions that she hasn’t left her apartment for years.

Newcomer Erin Walker plays Tracy, and the girl’s got a note of—is that laughter?—in her singing voice that gives it huge pop appeal. And as a stage presence, she is as charming as polka-dot socks: innocent and out-there.

Playing the drag role of Edna, Andy Toth is so confident and his timing is so great that he can bring down the house or break your heart with his understated delivery. From the minute you see him, you know that David Lindo-Reid (Seaweed, Tracy’s main black pal) is a singing, dancing, charismatic star in the making. And Cecilly Day lends her gracious presence and velvety voice to Motormouth Maybelle.

Part of what makes this so exciting is that a lot of this talent is young. Dustin Freeland (Link), Hannah Williams (Tracy’s gal pal, Penny), Marisa Gold (Seaweed’s sister, Little Inez), Georgia Beaty, and Graeme Thompson (the last two in a bunch of wacky cameos): let’s see more of all of them.

Director Sarah Rodgers has pulled together a top-tier team. Gerald King’s lighting is spectacular, the wit in Julie Tomaino’s choreography will crack you up, Brian Ball’s set is bubble-gum perfect, and the band, under Chris D. King’s direction, is brass-tastic. Costumer Chris Sinosich has made some odd choices, including the baggy leopard-print dresses and pantsuits that look like blue pyjamas, which she puts on the backup group, the Dynamites. But Sinosich has also created scores of costumes that work, including a bouquet of pastel dresses for the conservative white girls.

The songs in this show, including “Mama, I’m a Big Girl Now” and “I Can Hear the Bells”, are as nonstop as they are infectious. And the book is edgy enough to pay homage to John Waters, who made the 1988 original movie of Hairspray with drag queen Divine. “Alright, girls, who wants to take a shower?” says the lesbian gym teacher. “Extra credit.”

Go.