Do you remember your high school prom? Our biggest problems were what to wear and where to have the after-prom party; however, for some students, the memories of prom are fraught with drama.
In Mississippi in 2010, when a lesbian student wanted to bring her same-sex friend to the prom, the community resisted and canceled the dance. It was re-scheduled after the ACLU got involved, but unbeknownst to the girl, a second unofficial prom was held elsewhere and she was not included. How sad! How cruel!
Yet Jack Viertel was able to envision this story differently, and writers Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone) and Chad Beguelin have created a delightful musical comedy out of this depressing story.
They did it by integrating a second hilarious storyline about four out-of-work Broadway performers who need to get some good publicity. Dee Dee (Kate Marilley) and Barry (Brooks Ashmanskas) have just opened on Broadway in “Eleanor,” the story of Eleanor Roosevelt.
When the scathing New York Times review comes out, the pair is skewered, not only for their performances but also for the actors’ selfish personalities. As their PR guy Sheldon tells them, “No one likes a narcissist.” (Note: in contrast to “Eleanor,” The New York Times gave a glowing write-up of “The Prom.”)
At the cast party, they are joined by Trent, the waiter (an annoying pretentious out- of-work actor who constantly reminds everyone that he went to Juilliard) and Angie, a dancer who, despite her 20 years in the chorus, has never been promoted to the leading role of Roxy Hart in “Chicago.”
The four decide to become celebrity activists by finding “a little injustice they can drive to.” When Angie reads on Twitter about Emma, a lesbian in Indiana who wants to go to the prom, the four join a traveling touring company of “Godspell” and head out to right a wrong.
Dee Dee and Barry are delightfully self-absorbed, and they feel that by their acting, they are changing lives. As DeeDee, Marilley, (standing in for Beth Leavel) is magnetic, managing to draw all the attention to herself whenever she’s on stage. She is terrific, self-assured and downright funny, too.
But the most likable narcissist onstage is Barry, who sees this injustice as a personal fight. He’s not only gay; he’s Jewish too! He didn’t get to go to his own prom so the protest begins to resonate more strongly with him.
Ashmanskas uses stereotypically gay affectations with swishing hand motions, mincing steps, and sashaying moves, and his comments and obsession with fashion add extra humor to the story.
The four ‘activists’ make Emma’s plight worse, but eventually, their friendship and support give her strength to publically tell her side.
Emma, played by Caitlin Kinnunen, arouses our compassion, and although we feel sorry for her, we admire her courage and strength. While the others get to have fun with their characters, Kinnunen has the most difficult job of all because her songs tend to be introspective and often shift the mood of the musical.
The music by Matthew Sklar (“The Wedding Singer”, ”Elf” ) and lyrics by Chad Beguelin (“Aladdin”, “Elf”) are alternately warm, touching, funny and clever. The two noted that they had to write for two separate populations, the four professional performers as well as the young high school students.
Directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, “The Prom” is charmingly entertaining, offering some poignant lessons about tolerance and acceptance without being cloying. The dance numbers by the Godspell cast and the high school kids are creative and quite athletic.
The play is definitely a New York- type show, making some not-so-subtle digs at middle America, and specifically Indiana. The high school principal is a DeeDee fan and they go for dinner at the local restaurant, ‘Apple and Bees.’
Even though DeeDee tries to impress the motel clerk with her two Tonys, he has no idea who she is, but he’s almost speechless when he recognizes Trent from an old TV sitcom “Talk To The Hand,” a show that Trent yearns to forget.
There are subtle theater references to Broadway shows such as “Wicked” and “Chorus Line” and not-so-subtle references to Sondheim and Fosse.
Determined to buoy Emma’s spirits, Angie (the long-legged lithe Angie Schworer) sings “Zazz” which is reminiscent of Fosse’s music.
Despite his theatrical training and officious manner, Trent (the talented Christopher Sieber) finds his true calling when he tries to convince the highs school students that they should try to understand and accept Emma. He sings “Love thy Neighbor,” telling them that Jesus wouldn’t want them to stand in judgment of others, and he knows the teachings well, having played Jesus on stage and having been crucified three times.
Since Leavel wasn’t in the show, I will be invited back to see it again with her. I see a lot of theater and it’s rare that I return and even more rare that I would choose to return. I barely remember my own prom, but “The Prom” was a lot more fun. I’ll remember this one and I’ll return.
