As we pointed out yesterday, parallels between Broadway shows are more common than one might think.
Another savvy Reddit user pointed out via Venn Diagram that the film versions of Hairspray and Chicago share some remarkable similarities as well.
Check it out:
https://www.reddit.com/r/musicals/comments/bfrtzb/a_hairspraychicago_venn_diagram/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x
The similarities range from the obvious (like the fact that both are musicals) to borderline uncanny, such as both protagonists encountering a "bitchy widow who is already successful in show business named Velma."
And of course, a certain goddess graces both:
Queen.
Latifah.
What's more, Latifah plays maternal figures with alliterative "M" names in both: Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago and Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray.
Now that's weird.