Craig starred in his final high school musical

The high school theatre department presented the musical Hairspray from Feb. 14-17 and senior Kyle Craig played the role of Wilbur Turnblad, the father of Tracy Turnblad who is the leading lady of the show.

Craig is familiar with performing on the Pattonville stage as he has played the roles of Monsieur D’Arque in last year’s production of “Beauty and the Beast” and the character of Billy Carewe in this year’s fall play “Play On.”

In the original 1988 movie titled “Hairspray,” Jerry Stiller played the role of Wilbur Turnblad, and in the 2007 remake, it was played by Christopher Walken. In 2016, NBC produced “Hairspray Live!” and Wilbur Turnblad was played by Martin Short. In 2019, the role was played by senior Kyle Craig in Pattonville’s version which ran from Feb. 14-17.

What made you first start theatre?

“I got peer pressured into this. Ever since doing One Acts, I just thought it was incredible. Just getting out in front of people and just performing, I thought it was amazing.”

Who did you play in the musical?

“I played Tracy’s dad who is named Wilbur Turnblad.”

How did you feel about playing Wilbur?

“I thought it was perfect because I am just like a jokie person.”

What did you like playing about Wilbur?

“A lot of his lines were just really funny. I like having a character that I can relate to. A lot of his singing stuff is also very funny.”

How did you prepare for it?

“I practiced a lot of my lines on a Quizlet. Musically, I listened to the music a lot because if I have fun listening to it, it will be easier to learn.”

What was your favorite part of the musical?

“Probably that first show. The first show is the moment where  it is like ‘All right, this is it’ and it is a lot fun getting out there performing it for the first time.”