Divine (performer) Witch, the villain in the 1989 Disney animated film "The Little Mermaid". Due to Divine's portrayal of Edna Turnblad in the original comedy-film version of "Hairspray", later musical adaptations of "Hairspray" have commonly placed male actors in the role of Edna, including Harvey Fierstein and others in the 2002 Broadway musical, and John Travolta in the 2007 musical film. A 12-foot (4 m) tall statue in the likeness of Divine by Andrew Logan can be seen on permanent display at The American Visionary Art Museum in Divine's hometown of Baltimore. "I Am Divine", a feature documentary on the life of
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