Openings We're Tracking This Week, November 5, 2012

Earhart (via Wikipedia)

A musical that has a conscience and yet is an utter blast? Is that possible? Indeed it is. Hairspray is a strange hybrid - originally a movie by the iconoclastic John Waters about how America had to learn to adapt to desegregation (as seen through the eyes of a plump but energetic teenager), this is a show that just jumps off the stage and drags you through gently-presented messages until you, too, are dancing. (Lethbridge, Alberta)

Her life and, especially, her death (?) have been a mystery for the ages. Amelia Earhart flew into history and - with her disappearance - became symbolic of the feelings of an era: adventure is out there, exploration is required of us, there may be a price to pay but, in the age of almost-magical flying machines, we are willing to pay it. Matthew Heiti's Aviatrix: An Unreal Story of Amelia Earhart invites its audiences to explore too - leaving the ground without leaving their seat in the theatre. (Calgary)

Not much needs to be said about the combination of writer John Mighton and director Chris Abraham except that this is what theatrical dreams are made of. Mighton's The Little Years explores familiar territory (math and science) in this revival, but through the prism of three generations of women - an epic sprawling over 40 years. (Toronto) (Read an interview with director Chris Abraham.)

Also in Toronto: The Arsonists.