John Waters discusses HAIRSPRAY & DESPERATE LIVING at B&N Union Square

Fri Jun 26 2026 at 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm UTC-04:00

Barnes & Noble | New York

Barnes & Noble - Union Square
Publisher/HostBarnes & Noble - Union Square
John Waters discusses HAIRSPRAY & DESPERATE LIVING at B&N Union Square
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B&N Union Square in New York City, with Criterion, welcomes John Waters to discuss HAIRSPRAY & DESPERATE LIVING on Friday, June 26th at 6PM.
About this Event

Join in New York City, in partnership with , on Friday, June 26th at 6PM as we welcome writer, film director, actor, and visual artist, to celebrate the re-release of and in 4K for the Criterion Collection.

John will be in conversation with documentary filmmaker, television host, and actress .

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To make this event safe and enjoyable for all attendees, please read the below guidelines ahead of buying a ticket, so you know what to expect on the day.


TICKETING INFORMATION

Blu-ray Admission - $54.42 (Admission + one copy of [Criterion Collection] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray] + one copy of [Criterion Collection] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]): **LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE**:

A ticket PER PERSON includes:

  • One copy of and one copy of
  • Admission to the event space and signing line with .


John will sign and personalize (name only) one copy of HAIRSPRAY, one copy of DESPERATE LIVING, and a copy of one of his books per ticket. No other movies/shows, books, or memorabilia will be signed.

John will pose for photos. A B&N staff member will be on-hand to take your photo while you are seated in front of a table.

Ticket holders will be admitted into the event beginning at 5:30 PM the day of the event. Please have a copy of your ticket available (either printed out or on your phone) for check in.

Please arrive by 6PM in order to secure your seat in the event space. Late arrivals may only have access to standing room and may not have the opportunity to meet the director.



GUIDELINES

Please note that Eventbrite is the only authorized dealer for this event. Each person, regardless of age, must have a ticket to enter.

No large bags will be permitted into the event.

No memorabilia will be signed at this event.

Any gifts for the director will be collected prior to the signing line.



REFUNDS

Attendees can receive refunds up to 24 hours before the event start time.

If you are unable to attend the event, Barnes & Noble - Union Square will hold your discs for seven days after the event. Please contact the store to arrange your pickup.

Should this event be canceled, all customers will be refunded their ticket price to the original method of payment per Eventbrite's refund policy.


All event guidelines are subject to change.

If you have any additional questions, please call the store directly at: 212-253-0810.

Barnes & Noble reserves the right to make new rules and orders in its sole discretion with regard to COVID-19 at any time and any person not abiding by the Barnes & Noble directives will be refused entrance or directed to leave the premises.

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ABOUT [Criterion Collection] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]:

After decades of pushing the boundaries of bad taste with his underground provocations, John Waters found surprising mainstream success with this infectiously irreverent rock-and-soul comedy. It’s 1962, and the only things bigger than the bouffant hairdos are the popular dance crazes sweeping the nation. When Baltimore teen Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) shoots to stardom on a local TV dance party, her radical self-confidence and support for racial integration launch a movement that takes the city by storm. Costarring the inimitable Divine in a fiercely funny double role, Hairspray finds Waters marrying his wildly subversive sensibility with a newfound bubblegum sweetness for what may be his most irresistible film.

"Hairspray? How did I ever make such a joyous movie about how ugly racism really is? Criterion cements this film’s reputation as the big girls’ happy shriek of political victory, without once preaching to the audience.” — John Waters

ABOUT [Criterion Collection] [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]:

Following the unrepentant outrageousness of Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble, director John Waters brought his notorious trash trilogy to a fittingly twisted close with this antifascist fairy tale. After hysterical housewife Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) murders her husband with the help of her fed-up housekeeper (Jean Hill), the newfound “sisters in crime” escape to the bizarro shantytown of Mortville, a depraved penal colony presided over by a despotic queen (Edith Massey) whose tyranny pushes her subjects to shocking revolt. Deviant cops, death by dog food, DIY surgery—Waters unleashes all this and more in an at once relentlessly warped and oddly moral vision of queer rebellion.

“Here’s what I love best about Criterion’s restoration of Desperate Living; the detail of Van Smith’s costume and Vincent Peranio’s production design, some of which I saw for the first time after watching again, and glimpses of nudity I never noticed before.” —John Waters

ABOUT :

John Waters is a writer, a film director, an actor, and a visual artist best known for his films, including Hairspray, Pink Flamingos, and Serial Mom. He is the author of the national bestsellers Role Models, Carsick, and Mr. Know-It-All. His spoken-word shows This Filthy World, False Negative, and A John Waters Christmas continue to be performed around the world. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Barnes & Noble, 33 East 17th Street, New York, United States

Tickets

USD 59.13

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