Hairspray Gets Divine—So to Speak
Out.com Daily Gossip
As would be expected, many stars have turned out to see the Los Angeles production of Hairspray, starring Bruce Vilanch in the role made famous by Divine. But it was a different Divine who made a splash backstage recently when the Divine Miss M herself, Bette Midler, came to see her pal Vilanch with Lily Tomlin and choreographer Toni Basil. “That was quite the triumvirate,” Vilanch quips to Out.com.
Midler was also there to see Charlotte Crossley, who plays Motormouth Maybelle and is “the oldest living Harlette” (one of Bette’s former backup singers), and the evening turned into quite an emotional experience.
“Bette kept crying,” explains Vilanch, who moves to the Broadway company of the show at the beginning of October. “Lily turned to me and said, ‘I had to start crying just to keep up!’”
