《纽约时报》剧评人及读者对Hairspray的评论(2)

　　But only occasionally do you shake off your awareness that Mr. McKean resembles a linebacker in a Hasty Pudding revue. There is a reason other than publicity and cinematic precedent to have a man play Edna. The cross-casting feeds the show's theme of all-embracing tolerance. But what made Mr. Fierstein's performance priceless, and what Mr. McKean has yet to achieve, was his awkward but sincere sensuality. While the wonderful Dick Latessa is still on hand as Edna's husband, Wilbur, the old marital chemistry just isn't there.

　　This shifts the show's emphasis more than ever to the younger generation in ''Hairspray,'' which is centered on what happens when Edna's 16-year-old daughter, Tracy, wins a spot on a television dance show in Baltimore in 1962. And if the ensemble of high school students doesn't have the same disciplined precision as when ''Hairspray'' opened, its leading teenagers are, if anything, more vital than the originals. Certainly they are a sexier bunch.

　　The boundary-breaking Tracy is now played by Carly Jibson, in her Broadway debut. She exudes a bright zeal and conviction that rivals that of her Tony-winning predecessor, Marissa Jaret Winokur. Ms. Jibson, who is 19, combines the nubile glow of adolescence with the confidence of an old pro. When this Tracy sings of her devotion to the local teen idol, Link Larkin (Richard H. Blake), she elicits the sound of popping hormones from Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman's heartfelt pastiche ballads.