"The main reason everyone is cheering for this HAIRSPRAY is David Coffee, who plays Tracy's mom Edna Turnblad, and is marking his 75th production at Casa. Coffee is always funny, and he is here, too."
-Mark Lowry,
TheaterJones
"I thought I'd be the biggest thing in brassieres. Well, you better be careful what you wish for."
"All the Turnblads in this production are aces, with Coffee doing nothing to disguise his usual gruff delivery as Edna, which only makes it funnier. "You're Timeless to Me," the second act song-and-dance duet featuring Edna and nebbish hubby Wilbur (Doug LoPachin) is a sweet moment with not a hint of winky-wink about Edna being played by a man."
-Elaine Liner,
Dallas Observer
"First we'll make pit stop at the weiner stand." (with Tanner Lee Hanley as the dancing hot dog vendor)
"Putting his own stamp on the gender bending role of Edna Turnblad is local favorite David Coffee. Edna has always been played by a man, in part a tribute to Divine from the original movie. In a padded suit but without affecting an overdone female character, Coffee succeeds in bringing to life a mother who is supportive, but no-nonsense. He has great comic timing and his zingers (as usual) land well."
-Clyde Berry,
John Garcia's THE COLUMN
Big, Blonde And Beautiful! (with Sheran Goodspeed Keyton as Motormouth Maybelle)
"In the original Hairspray Tracy's mother was played by the world's first drag superstar, the late Divine. That tradition has been followed in all subsequent productions and the Casa incarnation is no exception. Local favorite David Coffee plays Edna. You may recall Coffee from his recent brilliant portrayal of Herr Schultz in Dallas Theater Center's Cabaret.
After seeing John Travolta destroy this role in the movie version of the musical it was so nice to enjoy this character again in a way I haven't since first seeing Divine in the original some 25 years ago. He is funny, engaging, and it is easy to see why this is the 75th show he has been cast in at Casa."
-Scott Lewis,
THIS WEEK IN TEXAS
BIG DOLL HOUSE
"For Meeeeeeee!"
(a la Merman as Mama Rose)
"...the real stars are David Coffee, in his 75th Casa production over 43 years, stunning in drag as Tracy's mom, Edna...
Coffee, who makes no attempt to hide his deep masculine voice, totters gracefully atop pumps and swirls with glorious femininity in feathered chiffon."
-Joy Tipping,
Dallas Morning News
"All of the experience goes into Edna, a comedy role perfect for an actor who has become synonymous with comic relief, who knows how to be hammy without overdoing the pork. It's the first time the straight actor has played a woman, although he understudied the role at North Shore (Music Theatre) in 2006.
"I've seen people play it soft and feminine, and I don't do that," Coffee says about the challenge of playing Edna. He seems to be in touch with his inner woman, though: He sat through the entire interview wearing a pair of pumps that we requested for the photo shoot after the interview. "I don't pull any big bones about it. The femininity will come through the physicalization, but I don't do it with my voice. You just play what's there and you're OK. You don't ignore the fact that it's a guy in drag, because there are a couple of places in the show where they play it up; but other than that, you don't worry about it."
-from an interview with Mark Lowry for the Dallas Voice
What a tremendous joy to be reunited with my Director, Casey Hushion (who I have known since she was a student at NYU), Choreographer, Josh Rhodes (who choreographed our "WHOREHOUSE" last year) and Musical Director, Aimee Hurst Bozarth (with whom I've had the pleasure of working for over a decade). Special kudos also go to Tammy Spencer for seeing that I was as comfortable as possible in my drag outfits and Patricia Delsordo for providing my hair and makeup! I had a ball!!! Thanks, Wally!
-All show photos by Curtis Scott Brown