Wolverhampton school ready to perform Hairspray after being invited to West End by ex-student Beverley Knight
You Can't Stop the Beat at this Wolverhampton high school, which is staging a production of Hairspray this week.
Highfields School is transporting audiences to 1960s Baltimore with a run of sold-out performances from Tuesday to Friday.
Set in racially-segregated 1960s Baltimore, Tracy Turnblad, the lovable plus-size teen, has only one desire – to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show.
When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star.
The lucky cast were even invited by Highfields alumna, Beverley Knight, to the Garrick Theatre in London's West End.
The star paid for 50 staff and students from the school, which includes her niece, to watch her in a matinee performance of the hit musical The Drifters Girl.
Beverley said: "I believe passionately that children must be able to see their aspirations to know they can achieve them. I had a little Q&A with the kids after the show, and it just lifted my soul to see the fire in the eyes of these young performers."
After the show, Beverley went down to speak to the students alongside two other cast members. They chatted, answered questions, and posed for photos as well as signing many autographs.
Sharon Bishop, head of performance, said: "The show was fantastic and it was very generous of Beverley to invite our students to watch it. The story of the Drifters is fascinating and has moments of real tragedy but lots of humour too.
"We were all on our feet at the end and I know lots of the students have downloaded the which is brilliant!"
Beverley will also be in the audience at Hairspray to cheer her niece on.
Hairspray is playing at Highfields School from Tuesday to Friday. Tuesday’s show is a relaxed performance more suitable for younger audiences and includes a firework finale for audiences.
