Michael Ball (singer) represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing second with the song "One Step Out of Time". In 1995, he reprised the role of Marius in "". His other West End roles include Giorgio in "Passion" (1997) and Caractacus Potts in "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" (2002). He has twice won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He won in 2008 for his role as Edna Turnblad in "Hairspray", and then in 2013 for the title role in the revival of "". Ball was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in
Hairspray (musical) spent two years preparing with voice and dance lessons. Tracy's mother had been portrayed by Divine in the original film, and Shaiman liked the idea of maintaining the tradition of casting a male as Edna Turnblad. Harvey Fierstein auditioned for the role with a "half hour vocal audition". He thought they were "pacifying" him, but he was told "they don't want anyone but you". According to Shaiman, one song, "I Know Where I've Been," became controversial during the genesis of the score: The civil rights story line is a very important aspect of the musical. This story line and the