The Big Dollhouse Lyrics – Hairspray

Song Overview

The Big Dollhouse kicks off Act II of Hairspray with a riot of rhymes, siren-blare brass, and jailhouse gags. On the cast album (Hairspray: Original Broadway Cast Recording), it features Jackie Hoffman, Linda Hart, Harvey Fierstein, Laura Bell Bundy, Danelle Eugenia Wilson, Mary Bond Davis, Kerry Butler, Marissa Jaret Winokur and company. The album was released August 13, 2002 on Sony Classical and later won the 2003 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. An official “Provided to YouTube” upload is available via Masterworks Broadway.

Review and Highlights

The number slaps the steel bars like a drum kit. Marc Shaiman writes a tight, two-beat stomp laced with sax rips and ensemble shouts; Scott Wittman’s lyric stacks one-liners that land fast and clean. Everyone gets a comic button - Edna’s “conjugal visit,” Velma’s legal name-dropping, Motormouth’s spark of purpose - and the whole thing detonates on a unison plea to “Lady Justice.” It’s a release valve after Act I’s protest blow-up and a cue that the women will drive Act II.

Creation History

Written for the 2002 Broadway premiere, “The Big Dollhouse” opens Act II at the Baltimore Women’s House of Detention. The commercial recording sessions ran June 29–July 1, 2002; the album arrived August 13 via Sony Classical (Masterworks).

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

After the failed Mother-Daughter Day picket, most of the women are thrown in jail. This song is their roll call: the Matron cracks the whip, Velma fumes, Penny and Tracy bicker, and Motormouth reframes the cellblock as a staging ground. The sequence sets up the jailbreak energy that pushes the rest of the act.

Song Meaning

It’s gallows humor with a beat. The quips say: the system can wall people in, but it can’t quiet them. By giving each woman a comic mini-aria, the show equalizes them - glam villain, stage mom, outsider teen, and civil-rights matriarch share the groove. The final refrain (“Ain’t big enough for me!”) is a thesis for Tracy’s crew: institutions shrink next to collective noise.

Annotations

“Lipshitz and Strauss”

Winks toward showbiz-lawyer clichés and, by sound alone, nods to Chicago’s legal satire.

“Well, it’s just us girls in the big dollhouse”

Edna is traditionally played by a man; the line doubles as a rib and a reminder that gender performance is baked into the show’s comedy.

“For me!”

The tag knowingly echoes the crowning octave in “Rose’s Turn” from Gypsy: camp homage as punchline.

Style & staging

A pit-band blast with Broadway snap: barked asides over stop-time breaks, then full cast in belt-and-blend. The comedy is broad, but the staging lines up like dominoes - each quip topples into the next until the women shout together.

Key Facts

• Artists on track: Jackie Hoffman, Linda Hart, Harvey Fierstein, Laura Bell Bundy, Danelle Eugenia Wilson, Mary Bond Davis, Kerry Butler, Marissa Jaret Winokur & ensemble
• Composer: Marc Shaiman
• Lyricist: Scott Wittman (with Shaiman)
• Album: Hairspray: Original Broadway Cast Recording
• Release date: August 13, 2002
• Label: Sony Classical / Masterworks Broadway
• Recording dates: June 29–July 1, 2002
• YouTube official audio ID: 41fvH4eW25I
• Stage placement: Act II opener at the Baltimore Women’s House of Detention

Questions and Answers

Who wrote “The Big Dollhouse”?

Music by Marc Shaiman; lyrics by Scott Wittman with Shaiman.

Who sings it on the Original Broadway Cast album?

Jackie Hoffman (Matron), Linda Hart (Velma), Harvey Fierstein (Edna), Laura Bell Bundy (Amber), Danelle Eugenia Wilson (Little Inez), Mary Bond Davis (Motormouth), Kerry Butler (Penny), Marissa Jaret Winokur (Tracy) and company.

Where does it land in the show?

It opens Act II - the women in jail, plotting their next move.

When was the cast album released and by whom?

August 13, 2002, on Sony Classical (Masterworks Broadway).

Is there an official upload?

Yes - a “Provided to YouTube” version from Masterworks Broadway.

Awards and Chart Positions

Album milestones: Hairspray: Original Broadway Cast Recording won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and is widely listed with an August 13, 2002 release date on Sony Classical/Masterworks.

How to Sing The Big Dollhouse

Vocal traffic: It’s an ensemble relay. Keep handoffs clean - quip, cut-off, cue the next entrance. Matron barks; Edna leans warm and wide; Velma slices with bright edge; Motormouth grounds the groove.

Time feel: Two-beat Broadway stomp. Let the stop-time jokes breathe, then lock back into the chute.

Diction as comedy: Punch internal rhymes (slammer/cooler/“big dollhouse”), and land names like “Lipshitz and Strauss” with crisp consonants.

Staging beat: Don’t over-rush the final “For me!” tags - they’re built for applause, not speed.

Additional Info

The song is omitted in some condensed productions (Las Vegas cut and cruise adaptations), which reshuffle Act II’s pacing. In the full-length version, it remains the jailbreak spark plug.