Despite having seen the various films at least 10 times, this was my first time seeing Hairspray on-stage. I loved it.
The music is excellent, the jokes are good, and the plot shows people overcoming barriers in their way - it is a whole lot less problematic than some musicals (cough, cough Grease).
This production too was excellent. The ensemble dancers were sharp and synchronised, the singing was strong, and the lighting was bright and bouncy.
My only slight criticism is that the cyclorama had a tendancy to be used instead of a real set, which did cheapen it slightly. However, it was used very well compared to some productions, and the graphics projected were of quite a high quality.
Overall, it was superb.