‘Hairspray Live’ preview: Derek Hough, Ariana Grande, more preview ‘You Can’t Stop the Beat’

It’s a tradition for NBC to air a new musical production every December, and we’re now preparing for the next one in “Hairspray Live.” It’s coming in a matter of weeks now to the network on December 7, and today during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, you get a pretty substantial chance to take a look at one of the most iconic musical numbers.

Given that we were watching here a performance set seemingly under some sunny skies, we have a feeling that this was pre-recorded … but who cares? It’s Thanksgiving, so we’re not going to begrudge these people being able to go and enjoy some of their time with their loved ones and families on the day. Plus, NBC wanted this performance of “You Can’t Stop the Beat” to be perfect, given that this is going to be their way in order to ensure that everyone watches the actual musical.

The biggest takeaway from this was mostly just that it a lot of fun, and precisely what you would want in a production of this musical. It also doesn’t hurt that you’ve got some notable star power courtesy of Derek Hough and Ariana Grande. (For those wondering, Hough’s been splitting time between “Dancing with the Stars” and this musical for most of the fall.)

Ultimately, we just hope that the musical manages to capture all of the themes of the original production beyond just having great musicals. It’s a deceptively difficult one to pull off given that acceptance is such a key theme of it across so many different avenues.

While we don’t have the full performance number from this morning available at present, we can at least offer you a promo for the production if you haven’t seen that already. Even if you don’t know the original, we do think it’s accessible enough that people can still dive in and enjoy it.

Want to get some other updates from us all about the Thanksgiving Day Parade? Then be sure to head over to the link here! (Photo: NBC.)