Tracy’s mother is the determined Edna Turnblad who encourages Tracy not to lose hope in her dream to become part of the all-white “The Cory Collins Show.”
Ariana’s Penny Pingleton is the best friend of Tracy Turnblad, to be played by newcomer Maddie Baillio.
NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said in an official statement that the network is absolutely thrilled to round out an all-star “Hairspray Live!” cast with Ariana Grande, which he describes as one of the biggest recording artists in the world.
He said that Ariana is a Broadway baby at heart, having debuted on Broadway when she was 15 and that the songstress will be fantastic in the delightful role of Penny Pingleton.
Greenblatt added that they look forward to Ariana’s millions of fans seeing yet another side to the multifaceted performer and welcomed her with open arms to the incredible ensemble of artists.
“Hairspray Live!” is set to air on December 7 and marks the first time that NBC shall go into a live musical which would be filmed in Los Angeles.
Ariana Grande is already a made music artist, there is no doubt about that. But she is proving herself to be a versatile celebrity as she has been into acting, where she actually originated from back during her Nickelodeon days, and of late, hosting TV shows.