Though they’ve remained the best of friends since originating the roles of the 1960s teenagers Tracy, Amber, and Penny in the Tony Award-winning Broadway premiere of Hairspray in 2002, Tony winner Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony nominees Laura Bell Bundy and Kerry Butler haven’t performed together on stage in more than two decades. But they’ve reunited for a special theatrical cabaret concert they’ve written and directed, Mama, I’m A Big Girl Now!, playing a limited Off-Broadway engagement at New World Stages, sharing songs and stories of their backgrounds, careers, friendship, and experiences with marriage and motherhood. Laura Bell Bundy, Marissa Jaret Winokur, and Kerry Butler. Photo by Russ Rowland. Dressed in dazzling sequins, the super-talented BFFs brought their blockbuster voices, high-energy moves, and humorous perspectives to the fun-filled fast-paced non-stop show, through a set list of songs they’ve performed (they’ve appeared in a combined total of sixteen Broadway shows, 300 TV episodes, and countless other impressive credits). Those included the titular opening number, “Good Morning Baltimore,” “I Can Hear the Bells,” and the ebullient clap-along closer “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray, along with themed medleys (“Kid Medley” “Legally Blonde Medley,” and “Mom Medley”), a hilarious mash-up (of “Ruthless” with the pop hit “Oops I Did It Again” by Britney Spears, who understudied and replaced Bundy in the original 1992 Off-Broadway cast of Ruthless! The Musical), and parodies of familiar numbers with witty reworked personalized lyrics, accompanied by musical director Andrew Byrne on keyboards, Skylar Volpe on bass, and Jo Huling on drums, with backup vocals by the terrific Carla J. Hargrove, Margot Plum, and Mitchell Gerrard Johnson (who joined Winokur in a sensational song-and-dance duet for the finale). The company. Photo by Russ Rowland. Interspersed between the wildly entertaining and telling selection of songs came honest and revealing direct-address repartee, introducing themselves, tracing their journeys from child star (Bundy and Butler; Winokur’s mother wouldn’t let her start until she was older) to the hit Broadway musical that first brought them together, through their subsequent roles in show business and at home. It was all delivered with a light-hearted tone, while laughing at themselves, each other, the industry, some of its big names, and the demands of family, with perfect comic timing, total command of the stage, and an overriding sense of love and camaraderie among them and with their fans. The show also included a sidesplitting segment of audience participation, in which a volunteer was brought up to bump into Winokur, then fall and freeze (which even had the stars in stitches at the performance I attended). Marissa Jaret Winokur and Kerry Butler, then and now. Photo by Russ Rowland. In addition to letting us get to know the artists better both on stage and off, the concert served as a lively survey of some of the greatest songs from some of the most memorable musicals of their (and our) lifetime, revisiting hits from Gypsy, Grease, Wicked, Little Shop of Horrors, and Merrily We Roll Along, and celebrating old-time classic tunes like “Baby Mine” (from Disney’s Dumbo), “You Are My Sunshine,” and “Baby Face” (appropriately accentuated by Winokur with jazz hands). The fabulous numbers and nostalgic commentary were enhanced with projections on a large background screen of family photos, production shots, Playbill covers, and pictures of the lifelong friends together, which further illuminated the key points on their paths to stardom and brought an even greater feeling of intimacy and emotion to their upbeat and engaging personal narrative. Individually, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Laura Bell Bundy, and Kerry Butler are amazing triple threats in their own right. Together in Mama I’m a Big Girl Now! they’re all that times three, so don’t miss the opportunity to see this spectacular, exhilarating, and funny reunion and be a part of their ongoing story and contagious joy. Running Time: Approximately 85 minutes, without intermission. Mama I’m a Big Girl Now! plays through Sunday, December 8, 2024, at New World Stages, West 50th Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $79-299, including fees), go online.