Ariana Grande Joins Hairspray Live! Cast

With Peter Pan, The Wiz and The Sound of Music already ticked off the list, TV is going for the gold with perhaps the queerest choice of musicals to do live thus far: Hairspray, based off of the iconic 1988 cult film by John Waters and the subsequent Tony-winning Broadway show.

The production has (blessedly) given the role of Edna Turnblad to rightful owner Harvey Fierstein, who starred as Edna in the Broadway production (and is the only living person who has a hope of filling Divine's heels). And now, to make things just a little more fabulous, it has been announced that the world's premier pop princess Ariana Grande will play Penny, Tracy Turnblad's spunky best friend.

Not only does this not surprise us in the slightest, it thrills us in fact--especially after watching Ariana show not only her incredible musical and performance chops, but also her brilliant knack for comedy and imitation in a bevy of recent clips.

Rounding out the all-star live telecastcast are Jennifer Hudson, Kristin Chenoweth, Martin Short, and Derek Hough.

Get ready for Hairspray Live! on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, on NBC.