Stepping into “Hairspray” as Tracy Turnblad has required singer-songwriter and radio personality Carley Janse Van Vuuren to rethink what it means to perform.
Best known as an acoustic folk singer who first gained national recognition through singing competition show “Die Kontrak”, Janse Van Vuuren is taking on her first professional musical-theatre role in Scenario Productions’ staging of the musical.
The role has meant combining singing, acting and demanding choreography in a way that differs from the work she has done in her own music.
Speaking to “The National”, the 18-year-old artist described taking on Tracy as an exciting milestone, while acknowledging the demands of moving into musical theatre.
“It’s such an honour and an exciting milestone to step into such an iconic lead role. The transition has been fast-paced and demanding, but incredibly rewarding.”
The physical demands have been one of the biggest adjustments.
Tracy is at the centre of the production’s large musical numbers, requiring Janse Van Vuuren to maintain vocal characterisation while also handling heavy choreography.
“Combining heavy choreography and vocal characterisation requires a whole new level of stamina, but the energy of the show makes every rehearsal amazing!” she said.
Her background in songwriting has nevertheless given her a starting point for understanding Tracy. Janse Van Vuuren has built her music around storytelling and emotional honesty, qualities she said she wants to retain rather than abandon as she moves into a more theatrical performance style.
“As an acoustic singer-songwriter, storytelling and raw emotional honesty have always been at the heart of my music. I’m bringing that same grounded, authentic connection to Tracy,” she said.
The difference is in how broadly that emotion has to be communicated.
In her own music, Janse Van Vuuren can rely on quieter and more intimate forms of expression. Musical theatre has forced her to make that emotional connection larger without losing its authenticity.
“In songwriting, expressions can be quiet and subtle. In theatre, you have to project that same emotional truth all the way to the back row while dancing and moving through full production numbers,” she said.
That process has also challenged her understanding of her own capabilities.
“It’s showing me just how versatile my voice and presence can be when I let go and fully trust the momentum of the stage,” she said.
Tracy is the teenage heroine at the centre of “Hairspray”. A determined Baltimore teenager who dreams of dancing on “The Corny Collins Show”, she finds herself confronting the racial segregation that shapes the show, her school and the wider community. What begins as a personal ambition gradually becomes a fight for integration and fairness.
That wider context has also shaped how Janse Van Vuuren approaches the character. Instead of seeing Tracy simply as a relentlessly positive teenager who refuses to give up, she has become more interested in the vulnerability underneath her confidence.
“It’s easy to view Tracy solely as an unstoppable force of positivity, but beneath her boundless energy is a young girl navigating vulnerability and societal expectations,” she said.
That distinction has changed the way she approaches Tracy’s determination. For Janse Van Vuuren, the character’s confidence is not about being free of fear. It is about deciding how she wants to respond to the barriers placed in front of her.
“What changed my approach was realising that her confidence isn’t a lack of fear; it’s her choice to choose joy and fairness despite the barriers around her,” she said.
That perspective has made Tracy feel less like an idealised heroine and more like a teenager trying to find her place while refusing to accept the limitations imposed on her.
“Seeing her through that lens makes her much more relatable and human,” Janse Van Vuuren said.
The role also builds on an artistic journey that began before she established herself as a solo musician.
Appearing on “Die Kontrak” at a young age gave her an early introduction to the industry and stagecraft, however, developing her own music afterwards was where she began working out what she wanted her artistic identity to be.
“Following that, diving into writing my own songs and building my solo career allowed me to discover my genuine artistic identity, refine my sound, and figure out what I actually want to say as a creator,” she said.
Now, musical theatre is adding another dimension to that identity.
Without leaving her songwriting background behind, Janse Van Vuuren is using what she has learnt through music to approach a character who has to communicate through song, movement and dialogue.
Hairspray runs at Die Centurion Teater from October 22 to November 7, marking South Africa’s first professional staging of the musical in nearly 20 years.
nomathamsanqa.sithathu@nationalmg.co.za