Theater shows are much more expensive to produce than most realize. Aside from the expenses of cast, crew, theater rent, musicians, scenery, lighting, sound, costumes, stage managers, box office staff and ushers, etc. the road to Broadway is long and expensive.

Hairspray is explicitly set in Baltimore, Maryland and the original 1988 film had been shot on location there, but the 2007 film was shot primarily in Toronto because the city was better equipped with the sound stages necessary to film a musical.

There is no specific dress code.