Overall, pretty good!
I must say, this was a pretty strong production. I did not care for the host after scenes as a prelude to commercial breaks. I love behind the scenese trivia & views, BUT it would be nice as a special feature or maybe to be aired after the show. Seeing these glimpses took me out of the story & it was hard for me to immerse myself again.
The wobbly camera man that other people mentioned on here REALLY got annoying. During the cast call & finale there were some odd angles & Tracey seemed not to get as much screen time or it seemed off center. I thought maybe the director was trying to compensate for the issues with the camera man until I read how many cameras were used!
In a few scenes the audience would be noisy & distracting. It wasn't that they were applauding, but it sounded like they were talking. I remember when I was a kid & sitcoms were filmed in front of live audiences, but I never heard chatter like that before.
I loved the Easter Eggs with the shop names at the beginning & Rikki Lake looks great!
It was harder than usual for me to understand Harvey Fierstein when he would go into the high register, but I loved him! I like him better as Edna than John Travolta. Too much prosthetics for Travolta. Fierstein makes Edna look REAL. Not every woman is teeny or gorgeous, but when he smiled, he helped light up the stage. I think he & Short got better as the show went on. Short seemed really kind to Tracy during their shots together. He seemed to respect her & let a newcomer shine. BTW...I think she did a wonderful job! Hope to see more of her & good career!
Kudos to Ariana Grande for not accepting special songs/material to stay true to the story/character. Tracey is the star of Hairspray! & it made me respect her more as an artist for taking a step back for the greater good.
Much better than The Sound of Music (even though I am a HUGE fan of the movie!)& Peter Pan. Sadly, I missed Grease & Rocky Horror Picture Show. Looking forward to Bye Bye Birdie!