John Travolta follows in the high heels of two notable Ednas, the lovable Turnblad matriarch of "Hairspray": the late Harris Glen Milstead -- better known as Divine -- and Broadway darling Harvey Fierstein.

Why guys?

"It isn't a drag role," producer Neil Meron -- who with partner Craig Zadan also produced Oscar-winner "Chicago" -- told the New York Daily News. "We hired an actor to play the role of Edna, not an actor to be a man wearing a dress and a fat suit. [Original writer director] John Waters never conceived of the role as a drag role. I mean, it happened to be that Divine was a drag queen. but it's not a drag-queen role. The only tradition is that a man play the role of Edna."

Here's a glimpse at that tradition:

Divine: In the original "Hairspray" film, writer/director Waters cast his childhood friend and frequent collaborator Milstead, best known for his drag-queen persona Divine. He also appears in men's clothing, as TV station chief Arvin Hodgepile. Milstead died in 1988, just months after "Hairspray" -- Waters' first PG-rated film -- premiered.

Fierstein: The star/writer of "La Cage aux Folles" and "Torch Song Trilogy," Fierstein and that gravelly voice of his won a Tony for his turn as Edna when the film was transferred to the stage.

The musical, with original songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, has been running on Broadway since August 2002. A Las Vegas production ran from February to June of last year, with Fierstein reprising Edna through the first half of the run.

-- Sharon Eberson, Post-Gazette entertainment editor

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