Hairspray

San Francisco Playhouse’s Hairspray makes a smart case for revisiting a musical that can too easily get reduced to big hair and bigger dance numbers. Set in 1962 Baltimore, the story follows Tracy Turnblad as she gets a spot on a televised dance show and starts pushing back against its segregationist rules. That familiar plot lands differently when the production keeps its focus on the people caught inside the system, rather than treating the politics as a backdrop for the fun. Directed by Bill English with choreography by Phoenyx Rose, this is a chance to see the show in the Playhouse’s intimate 199-seat room, where the scale should keep its ensemble work and comic timing close at hand. The production runs through September 12, making this a good late-summer pick for anyone who wants a musical with genuine bite beneath its polished surface.