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    Back to The Business

    The Business

    Harvey Fierstein returns to 'Hairspray,' this time on live TV

    Broadway legend Harvey Fierstein won one of his several Tonys for his performance as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray. Now, he's reprising the role for NBC's live version of the musical, which airs December 7. He tells us about the weighty task of transforming into Edna and changes he made to the script when adapting it for television.

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    By Kim Masters • Dec 3, 2016 • 28m Listen

    Broadway playwright and star Harvey Fierstein is reprising his Tony-winning performance as big mama Edna Turnblad for NBC's upcoming live production of Hairspray. Fierstein also wrote the teleplay. We visit the set, where Fierstein tells us about the heavy process of transforming himself into Edna, and about some of the changes he made to take the script from broadway to live TV. And on the news banter, we discuss how a Hollywood money man went from big losses in Relativity Media to a cabinet appointment in the Trump administration.

    Photo: Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad with the cast of NBC's Hairspray Live! Trae Patton/NBC

    In this episode

    2 stories
    1. 1:02

      Hollywood news banter

      Matt Belloni, executive editor of the Hollywood Reporter joins Kim Masters to discuss top entertainment news stories of the week.

      Read the story
      7 min
    2. 7:55

      Harvey Fierstein on NBC's 'Hairspray Live'

      In a corner of the NBC backlot in Universal City, a generic city street set has been transformed into 1960's Baltimore for the upcoming production of Hairspray Live! , which airs on December 7.

      Read the story
      20 min
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Kim Masters

      partner/writer at Puck News, host of KCRW's “The Business.”

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Kaitlin Parker

      Producer, 'The Business' and 'Hollywood Breakdown'

      CultureEntertainmentArts

    In this episode

    2 stories
    1. 1:027 min

      Hollywood news banter

    2. 7:5520 min

      Harvey Fierstein on NBC's 'Hairspray Live'

    Back to The Business