Big Hair - Big Dreams: Bradshaw Call plays Edna Turnblad in HAIRSPRAY

Photo by Jordan Spears

In 1960s Baltimore, Tracy Turnblad is ready to dance her way into the spotlight—and into everyone’s hearts. This toe-tapping comedy brings a whirlwind of rhythm, laughter, and the unstoppable beat of change.

Welcome to the 60s! With a Tony Award-winning score by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Shaiman & Scott Whitman, Hairspray brings charm and change into the Jeffers Theatre September 5th and continues through September 20th.

Some roles are larger than life, and for Bradshaw Call, Edna Turnblad is exactly that. “She’s genuine, kind, loving, and would do anything for her family. I’ve wanted to play Edna for more than 20 years,” he shares.

Bradshaw, a baker from Morganton, runs Knob Hill Goat Farm’s Creamery & Bakery. He recently played Edna with the Lincoln Theatre Guild and fell in love with the role, prompting his return in HCT’s production. A Mars Hill University graduate, Bradshaw relocated from Asheville to Morganton after COVID.

He admires the high production quality of HCT, and his fellow cast members know him as the one most likely to bake you something — a sweet spirit both on and off the stage.

Hairspray runs September 5-20 in the Jeffers Theatre, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays at 2:30pm and Thursday, September 18 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students and youth 18 & under. Visit hickorytheatre.org/hairspray or call 828-328-2283 to get yours today. Hairspray is produced in association with MoreRon Productions.

HIckory Community Theatre is a Funded Affiliate of Arts Culture Catawba and receives Sustaining Support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. HCT's 77th season is supported by the City of Hickory, A Cleaner World, Shurtape Technologies, Acuña & Acuña Dentistry and BelleAge.