In ''Hairspray,'' Tracy Turnblad is a girl who dreams of appearing on TV, on early-'60s Baltimore sock-hop series ''The Corny Collins Show.'' In real life, the woman who plays Tracy in the current Broadway smash may get her own TV show. Variety reports that Marissa Jaret Winokur has signed a deal with ABC, which will develop a comedy around her.
''Marissa is the bright, shining star on Broadway this year, everyone is talking about her,'' ABC casting exec Gene Blythe said in a statement. The deal will take effect after Winokur ends her run in the musical next July.
Winokur, whose TV experience includes guest spots on ''Boston Public,'' ''Curb Your Enthusiasm,'' ''Felicity,'' and ''Dharma & Greg,'' has also appeared in bit parts in movies, most memorably, as the fast-food counter girl in ''American Beauty.'' But the breakthrough for the 29-year-old has been ''Hairspray,'' in which she stars opposite Harvey Fierstein, who plays Tracy's mother. Apparently the role is good luck; in the 1988 John Waters movie that the play is based on, the role of Tracy launched the career of Ricki Lake.
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