《纽约时报》剧评人及读者对Hairspray的评论

　　THEATER REVIEW; Doing Comedy Straight (As Far as It's Possible)

　　By BEN BRANTLEY

　　Published: June 23, 2004, Wednesday

　　The correct size, for the record, is 54 triple E. But filling the bra of Edna Turnblad, the bigger-than-life housewife from the hit Broadway musical ''Hairspray,'' is more than a matter of physical dimensions. Padded lingerie can take a fellow only so far in redefining the role for which Harvey Fierstein received a Tony Award last year. Any actor who tackles Edna must find the heart beneath the fat suit.

　　That's the challenge faced by Michael McKean, who has taken over Mr. Fierstein's part at the Neil Simon Theater. And if Mr. McKean's performance is more creditable than credible, it should be said that he executes it without flinching and, more important, without winking.

　　Having appeared in the deadpan film mockumentaries ''This Is Spinal Tap,'' ''Best in Show'' and ''A Mighty Wind,'' Mr. McKean knows the value of playing comedy straight. In donning Edna's well-worn housecoat, he doesn't make the mistake of accessorizing it with overwrought feminine mannerisms. It should be added, for those who cherish the John Waters movie that inspired the musical, that Mr. McKean looks much more like the Edna of the film, the drag diva Divine, than Mr. Fierstein did.

　　Yet unlike Mr. Fierstein, Mr. McKean never makes that final leap of faith that brings out the woman in a man. He is game, funny and charming as, locating his center of gravity in his newly enhanced chest, he quips and sings his way through this fizzy, overextended pop fable of rock 'n' roll and racial integration, directed by Jack O'Brien. His comic timing and his use of his bass voice to turn a punch line into a home run, àla Fierstein, are beyond reproach.