I love Hairspray. Hairspray is easily one of the most feel-good shows ever written, with one of the best closing numbers in musical history. It is impossible not to smile when you hear the opening horns of You Can’t Stop the Beat, and – despite having heavy undertones of white saviourism – the stage musical, and certainly the 2007 film, served the valuable role of introducing a lot of young people to the complexities of race politics in America.

However, the current tour of Hairspray, visiting Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre this week, leaves something to be desired.

Hairspray the Musical originally came out in 2002, with a hugely successful film in 2007, and is based on the 1988 film of the same name. The plot centres around Tracy Turnblad, a young plus-sized teen who wants to become a dancer on her favourite after-school television programme, The Corny Collins Show.

In pursuing her dream, Tracy meets the young black community who perform on the show every month as part of ‘Negro Day’, and starts a campaign for the programme to have racially integrated performances throughout the week. She, of course, also has a love interest – star dancer Link Larkin – who she hopes will fall in love with her once she gets on the show. The musical itself covers sizeism, racism, nepotism, and classism – it packs a lot into two and a bit hours.

Something about this iteration of Hairspray in Cardiff of the show lacks a bit of love. The cast themselves are fantastic, and do an incredible job with what they’ve been given, but overall, something about the tour feels a little cheap and a little lazy.

One example is the set design. Opting for projections rather than huge set pieces can be a cost-efficient and environmentally conscious decision for a tour company, but the projection design in the show felt clunky and tacky – the backdrops consisted of large images of generic brick walls and buildings with gaudy animations over the top, often with some part or another not in focus. The set and costume design are equally lacklustre in places – some costumes, particularly the men’s, are excellent and beautifully tailored, but other parts of the set and costume design feel a little ‘comprehensive school musical’, like a little more could have been invested in them.

For a show that constantly mentions the talent of the dancers involved, there were very few moments where the choreography really came up to par. Drew McOnie is a remarkable choreographer, and his work on Jekyll and Hyde rightfully won him a BroadwayWorld Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance. I was very excited to see his work again.

However, something about the dance in this show feels low-effort, with many moments where you again could expect a similar level of skill from a talented group of college students, rather than trained musical theatre professionals. There were some standout moments – Reece Richards shines throughout the show as Seaweed and his dancing is one of the standout parts of the production. Overall though, something about the dancing doesn’t feel as energised as you would expect from a musical as punchy as this.

The cast, as I say, are brilliant. Alexandra Emmerson-Kirby is joyous, funny, and charismatic as Tracy Turnblad; a professional debut to be proud of. Freya McMahon is brilliant as Penny Pingleton, displaying excellent range and comedy chops as her character grows and changes throughout the show. Neil Hurst and Dermot Canavan are fantastic as Edna and Wilbur Turnblad; their comedy double-act is completely lovable and had me smiling from ear to ear.

The whole cast were fantastic singers, but the riffs from Grace Anyiam, Vanessa Dumatey, and Sasha Monique brought real quality to the show and the ensemble. All three have incredibly powerful voices that also manage to blend beautifully with other singers.

Would I have liked a little more from this production? Yes. Did I still enjoy myself though? Also yes. If you like Hairspray, you will probably like this version of it in Cardiff. The cast is excellent and, despite some shortcomings in other aspects of the production, the music and singing alone are bound to put a smile on your face.

Tues 30 July, Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff Bay. Hairspray is on until Sat 3 Aug. Tickets: £18–£73. Info: here