A BEXLEY school has staged the first performance of the hit musical Hairspray, outside the West End.

More than 70 students from Bexleyheath School in Woolwich Road, Bexleyheath, were involved in the production, after rehearsing for four months.

Their preparations included a workshop with Charlotte Riby, one of the two Traceys in the West End production.

They also watched her in action when they went to see the musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre and met the cast and the director.

With a cast of 50 and 20 students providing props, costume and set design and a huge technical team, they performed to packed houses on three nights plus a performance for local primary schools.

Costumes for the Bexleyheath production were handmade from scratch under the supervision of Elizabeth Foster, the director was Steven Fry with Kay Rodney as technical director assisted by Steve Jarman.