Mary DiGangi (r) of Howell plays Tracy, the misfit who wins the boy, played by Anthony Marone of Freehold, much to the dismay of his former girlfriend, played by Danielle Goldstein of Forked River, when the hit musical “Hairspray” comes to the Strand Center, Lakewood, on July 30. Mary DiGangi of Howell will star as Tracy in the Phoenix Productions revival of the hit Broadway musical “Hairspray,” coming to the Strand Center for the Arts, Lakewood, on July 30 for two performances.
DiGangi graduated from the Freehold Regional High School District’s Fine and Performing Arts Center at Howell High School. She is a sophomore at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
In “Hairspray,” DiGangi plays Tracy, the slightly overweight misfit who wins the day (and the boy). The musical is set in 1962 Baltimore and is full of toe-tapping 1960sstyle production numbers and downtown rhythm and blues.
“Hairspray” played more than 2,500 performances on Broadway and won eight Tony awards.
The Phoenix Productions revival features a cast of 45 area performers. Others featured in the cast include Gian Carlo Durland of Long Branch as Edna, Danielle Goldstein of Forked River as Amber, Anthony Marone of Freehold as Link, Brynn Mosello of Morganville as Penny, and Diane Parker of Laurence Harbor as Mabel.
The production features full sets and costumes and a live orchestra.
Performances are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. July 30. Tickets, priced at $20 to $29, can be ordered by phone through the Strand box office at 732-367-7789. Tickets can also be purchased online at the Internet website www.strand.org.
Phoenix Productions, a Red Bank-based nonprofit community theater organization, has produced more than 100 revivals of hit Broadway musicals over the past two decades. More information is available at phoenixredbank.com.
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