Hairspray (2007 film) the 1988 John Waters film upon which the stage musical is based, became interested in adapting the stage show as a musical film. Development work began in late 2004, while a similarly film-to-Broadway-to-film project, Mel Brooks' "The Producers", was in production. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the executive producers of the Academy Award-winning film adaptation of the Broadway musical "Chicago", were hired as the producers for "Hairspray", and began discussing possibly casting John Travolta and Billy Crystal (or Jim Broadbent) as Edna and Wilbur Turnblad, respectively. Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell, authors of the book for the stage musical, wrote
Dame Edna Everage becoming an Edna trademark – interaction with the theatre audience. In April 1976, Edna made an appearance in "A Poke in the Eye (with a Sharp Stick)" – the first of what became Amnesty International's Secret Policeman's Ball series of benefit shows. Edna performed a song for the show and was featured in the film of the show. She also appeared in the 1981 Amnesty show "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball". Edna made a cameo appearance in the 1978 film "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". In 1979 she was the subject of a BBC "Arena" mockumentary: "La Dame aux