KEEP your hair on!

In the lead-up to York Pride this weekend and Hairspray's run at the Grand Opera House next month, the air turned nasty at The Lounge, in Gillygate, York, as Edna Turnblad and Velma Von Tussle reached for the hairspray.

York Dungeon's Betty Turpin became involved too, which was all too much for the salon owner Louise Ndlovu, who tried to keep the (hair) peace.

Grand Opera House staff members David Rennie and Rachel Alexander-Hill are pictured representing the Cumberland Street theatre, dressed as Hairspray’s Edna and Velma respectively, ahead of Hairspray's run from July 16 to 21 at 7.30pm nightly plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees.

"This Tony award-winning show continues to be one of the most widely produced musicals today, not only because of its wit and charm, but also because of the beautiful message of acceptance and progress that it portrays," says marketing and communications manager Rachel Alexander-Hill. "The bright, energetic story of Tracy Turnblad teaches us all to look past the colour of one's skin and fight for every human being’s equal rights."

Meanwhile, the York Dungeon is pledging its support to the city’s annual York Pride event by sponsoring and taking part in the parade from York Minster to Knavesmire on Saturday.

This is the second year the Clifford Street attraction has supported the free festival with the largest attendance in York’s calendar. General manager Stuart Jarman says: "It is important that all areas of the businesses sector in the city support York Pride. I feel that the attraction sector is under-represented and I hope that in future years this is not the case.

"This year, in our parade section, we will be joined by the Grand Opera House and the youth charity SASH as we showcase our key characters such as the Judge, the Plague Doctor and the Viking."

Greg Stephenson, chair of York Pride, says: "We loved having the York Dungeon involved last year and are delighted they are supporting us again this year."

Likewise, the Grand Opera House is backing York Pride, as ticketing and sales manager David Rennie says: "We are very pleased to be supporting York Pride again this year in a number of ways to help ‘flag it up’ and show our support towards raising awareness of LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] issues. As part of their 2018 Wristband scheme we are selling wristbands for a fiver at our box office. They are the main funding source for York Pride, offering discounts at over 60 retailers including the Grand Opera House."

Tickets for Hairspray: The Musical are on sale on 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york.