We grew in terms of the three that we did. What’s wonderful about it is that we learn and we grow from each iteration. Meron added, “In terms of the footprint, I think the footprint of this particular production is probably the biggest of any of the live musicals that have been done on television, ours included and Grease: Live included. And we’ll be using them and be using the back lot for exterior shots and scenes and musical numbers. They will be done just before we need them, which is any minute. Universal is building two brand-new sound stages on the Universal lot, and we are going to use them as soon as they’re done. In terms of logistics-and how Hairspray Live! will be filmed with the audience-Zadan said, “It is the biggest production we’ve done so far in so many ways. Hairspray will head to the Universal Studio lot in California.

All three before Hairspray were filmed on a contained soundstage in Long Island, NY.

Hairspray Live! marks the fourth NBC live musical event it follows The Sound of Music, Peter Pan and The Wiz. “In terms of recruiting the audience, we are going to be having a website very, very shortly that’s going to be up, and we’re going to be announcing it, where people can kind of sign in in hopes of becoming an audience member.”

“Naturally, story-wise, there is an audience for The Corny Collins Show, so we will have that as kind of a natural extension to the story of Hairspray Live! Plus, in another location, we will have just a general audience that will be there to watch, observe, react and hopefully have a really good time. “It’s going to be functioning in two ways, interestingly enough,” Meron told Playbill on a Hairspray Live! conference call October 13 with invited press. With three live musical productions behind them, producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan are upping the ante this year with their production of Hairspray Live! It will film in Los Angeles in front of a live studio audience, and here’s how it will work.

How to watch hairspray live online