'Hairspray Live!' Cast 2016: Who Was MVP, Ariana Grande, Dove Cameron, Jennifer Hudson Or Someone Else? [POLL, VIDEO]
Hairspray Live! featured an all-star cast with many great performance, but who do you think was the MVP?
With powerhouse vocalists like Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Kristin Chenoweth and more, Wednesday night's production of Hairspray Live! was an impressive one. From Hudson's showstopping performance of "I Know Where I've Been" to Chenoweth's divalicious "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs" to the fantastic "You Can't Stop the Beat" finale, there were numerous strong moments throughout the show.
Who do you think was the strongest performer, though?
Ariana Grande
Grande was one of the biggest names in the cast, and she received strong reviews for her performance, with Variety proclaiming her to be the MVP outright. The pop star, who played sidekick Penny Pingleton, had standout moments on "Without Love", "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" and her duet with Hudson, "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)".
Jennifer Hudson
Hudson predictably did great with her scene-stealing role as record store owner Motormouth Maybelle. As previously discussed, her powerhouse vocals on "I Know Where I've Been" was a huge moment, but she was a warm presence throughout the production and showed why she belonged in the world of musicals - having previously won an Oscar for the 2006 film adaptation of Dreamgirls.
Kristin Chenoweth
Chenoweth always brings it 100 percent, and Wednesday night was no different. Playing the villainous/racist Velma Von Tussle, she chewed all sorts of scenery and soared with her operatic vocals on "(The Legend of) Miss Baltimore Crabs" as well as "Velma's Revenge". Plus, shouldn't she get bonus sympathy points for the camera cutting away from her bow at the end of the show?!
Dove Cameron
If Chenoweth's level of excellence wasn't entirely shocking, color us surprised with the performance of Cameron, who played Velma's daughter, Amber. People were so impressed with Cameron's spirited performance and vocal excellence that she actually got a Twitter Moment shortly after the show!
Maddie Baillio
Baillio made her major acting debut as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray Live! - an impressive feat for someone who was unknown prior to last night. She had huge shoes to fill playing the show's lead character, but she mostly lived up to the role, displaying huge vocals on "Good Morning Baltimore", "I Can Hear the Bells", "Welcome to the '60s" and more.
