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
Les Dennis Conley and Michael Starke – who alternated the role of Edna Turnblad. In 2012 he starred in the touring production of "Legally Blonde The Musical" playing the role of Professor Callahan. In 2017, Dennis played the role of Uncle Fester on the UK tour of the musical production of The Addams Family. The production starred Samantha Womack and Carrie Hope Fletcher and was produced by James Yeoburn and Stuart Matthew Price for United Theatrical, Katy Lipson for Area Entertainment and Music & Lyrics in association with Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Dennis's big-screen debut was in the film "Intimate Relations" with Julie