Actors Andrew Scoggin and Abigail Bensman sit down with Houston Life's Derrick Shore to chat about this week's performances in their home state of Texas and why the Tony-winning musical 'Hairspray' is striking just the right note with audiences.
how nice it was to be back in the Lone Star state for a minute.“I’ve worked on a lot of productions in my life but the energy at the end of this show every night -- it’s like it’s brand new all over again every single day because people just go bananas for it and I love it,” said Scoggin, who plays the role of Corny Collins.
For Bensman, who is enjoying her first role as part of a national tour, landing the role of Brenda came as a surprise. One year ago when ‘Hairspray’ was touring through Austin, Abigail already had tickets to see the show when she got a phone call inviting her to fly to New York to audition for the national tour.
“I was kind of going in with the mindset that I was just going to get great experience in New York auditioning and that was kind of my goal, that was what I was going for, so when I did book the show it came as a very pleasant surprise,” said Bensman. ‘Hairspray’ is set in the 1960s and follows a 16 year old with big dreams and big hair. She has loads of talent and has a thing or two to teach the world about loving other people, even those who are perceived to be different.
“I think ‘Hairspray’ is all about togetherness and acceptance and inclusion. I really think that’s the biggest message people can take away,” said Bensman.Copyright 2024 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.
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