Divas Outdoors Presents: Hairspray

Pack your picnic and head to summer camp under the starts. Enjoy a truly Divine summer evening, atDivas Outdoors: Classic Films Under the Stars, watching John Water’s cult classic Hairspray on the Lunar Lawn at Hillwood Estate,Museum & Gardens, Friday, July 24, 2015 at 7 pm.

This high-spirited night begins with picnic spreads across the lawn, all vying for the top spot in the best picnic spread competition. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs, and creative and delectable picnics inspired by the sophisticated setting at Hillwood.  Additionally, dinner from Hillwood’s café will be available for pre-order. Please note Hillwood’s liquor license does not permit outside alcohol. Therefore, guests are welcome to augment their personal feast with Hillwood’s special signature champagne cocktail, beer, wine, or champagne, all available for purchase onsite.

The evening also includes strolls through the splendid gardens and the opportunity to tour the special exhibition, Ingenue to Icon: 70 Years of Fashion from the Collection of Marjorie Merriweather Post. The first exhibition at Hillwood to present Post’s full range of style, Ingenue to Icon examines how Post’s lifelong passion for objects that were exceptionally beautiful and impeccably constructed extended to her taste for clothing.

Around 8:45 pm John Water’s 1988 Hairspray will begin. The film stars Ricki Lake, as the pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad who lands a coveted role as a regular on The Corny Collins Dance Show. Her moves and her self-confidence make her a teen hero, and she becomes a proud spokesman for the Hefty Hideaway, along with her mother Edna (Divine), Tracy uses her newfound fame to fight racial segregation on the Corny Collins Show. This campy classic is sure to inspire laughter, fun and even dancing across the lawn.

The Dina Merrill Film Program and Divas Outdoors

Hillwood serves as a fitting venue for the presentation of classic films, as they and their stars recall not only a golden age of film, but also a time of grand living that was celebrated by Hillwood founder and Washington social figure Marjorie Merriweather Post. Every Divas Outdoors film had it, theatrical debut around the time that Post resided and entertained at Hillwood. Without fail a gracious host, Post added asplendid wing to the mansion after she purchased the estate in 1955 that, among other types of entertaining, allowed her to screen movies for her guests. In 2010, Dina Merrill Hartley (Dina Merrill), actress, philanthropist, and Post’s youngest daughter, made a gift to support film programs at Hillwood so her mother’s long-standing tradition could be continued.

GENERAL INFORMATION