“The Prom” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

***** Dynamic and inspirational, “The Prom” is a real treat! The story takes on a very serious theme of being excluded by others for being the person you are—or were born to be. Splendidly directed and choreographed by Tor Campbell, this musical comedy features a phenomenal book by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin and great music by Matthew Sklar featuring, above all, Beguelin’s meaningful song lyrics! While you can marvel at how cleverly the script balances humor, hurtfulness, and heartache, it is the actors and their great talent who have done the heavy lifting. The cast and the casting are excellent! With their vigorous dancing and singing and perfect timing, they not only make this socially relevant show truly extraordinary but carry it well past the goal line.

When the cast of the Eleanor Roosevelt story suddenly finds itself without work, four Broadway actors don’t know what to do with themselves. Dee Dee Allen (Anne-Sophie Lacombe Garcia), who previously starred as Eleanor, is especially at her wit’s end. She and the other actors—Barry Glickman (Daniel Calderon), Angie Dickinson (Piper Jean Bailey), and Trent Oliver (Joshua Messmore) plus their manager Sheldon (Nick Hollenbeck)—thus develop a scheme: They decide to direct publicity on themselves by saying they want to take up a cause and do something noble. But what cause would be small enough to be manageable yet worthy enough of their time and trouble, plus attract media attention? Angie turns to the internet and discovers the story of a high school prom in Indiana that is going to be cancelled because a lesbian teenager would dare to bring a date of the same sex. All five are horrified by this and want to help the girl out.

The actors and their manager consequently go off to a small town called Edgewater, where they meet Emma Nolan (Yumi Tallud), the seventeen-year-old in question. However, when the actors crash a meeting of the parents and the school board, they create a huge stir and a bad reaction. The principal of the school Tom Hawkins (Eric Powers), who once thought he had things under control, is very miffed by their presence. Hawkins happens to be on Emma’s side and realizes that the situation needs to be handled with tact and diplomacy and through legal means. But onset of the New Yorkers threatens to ruin the fine needle he is threading. The parents resent that people from outside of their community are telling them what to do and how to run their lives. And when the actors help to make a mess of things, the situation only goes from bad to worse.

At the same time that Emma’s girlfriend Alyssa Greene (Peggy Helman) tries to keep their relationship under wraps, it is her mother (Elena Garcia) who happens to be one of the parents leading the crusade against Emma—and against gay and lesbian relationships. While the mother could have been vilified in this tale, an excellent script makes her comes off as a concerned parent who wants the best for her daughter and who wants to uphold prevailing community standards. For a long time, the mother does not suspect her daughter of having a same sex relationship; in fact, nobody knows that Emma and Alyssa are an item.

When Emma is treated with distain by many of her schoolmates, who pick on her and tease her and treat her miserably, it is the actors who help her get out of her funk and take her under their wing. Glickman, a flashy gay man, takes on the task of teaching Emma how to dress and act in a society when one’s sexual orientation is different from the norm. Angie teaches Emma how to have confidence in the way she presents herself. But it is Trent (a/k/a Two-Hands) who teaches the community, especially the young people, how to be tolerant of others. The actors turn out to be loving and caring people, despite their initial self-centeredness.

Music director and piano conductor Otto Vogel could not have done a better job with the orchestra and with the singers on stage! In fact, one of the most stirring songs is “Changing Lives” which we hear in the first act and then has two reprises. But perhaps my favorite song was “Love Thy Neighbor” in the second act, which takes place at a crucial plot point.

Costume design by Ben Argenta Kress is great! There’s so much to remark on! The “Straight But Not Narrow” T-shirt hits the nail on the head. I especially liked the tie-dye garments, all of which are cut to different patterns to suit men and women of different body types. I also loved the glittery outfits that several characters wore, especially Dee Dee’s copper-colored dress and Barry’s shocking pink vest and the weirdly mismatched and vintage suits worn by Sheldon. And who could forget all the cheerleading outfits where the school colors are red and white with the bobcat mascot? Hair and makeup designer Mark Park has nicely complimented all the various clothing styles.

The scenic design by Hannah Clark is quite simple but it works. It consists of a gymnasium featuring a double door and a scoreboard and a wooden floor, complete with game lines and free throw lines—and looks like a place where a prom might be held. Prop design is also by Clark, and we can envision a principal’s office and a hotel room and even Applebee’s Restaurant. Sierra Walker’s lighting design is cleverly done, especially when long bulbs of different colors appear on the back wall of the gymnasium and the game lines get lit up in different colors throughout the show. (The allusion to the show “Chicago” through the use of lighting is certainly distinctive.) Spotlights neatly differentiate smaller scenes from those with larger production numbers. Sound designer Brandon Reed and sound engineer Matt Reich have done a nice job, although I felt the need to wear earplugs. Speaking of loudness, I should add there were lots of applause from a super-enthusiastic crowd, and the actors all received a standing ovation at the end. That being said, it is essential to take notice of the uniqueness of this production. Director Campbell has done a fabulous job while in the process of earning his MFA from Northwestern. In fact, most of the actors, crew, and musicians are either college students at Northwestern or graduate students earning their MFAs. The talent of all of the actors, musicians, dancers, singers, and crew is unbelievable!

“The Prom” is not just a story about community standards and the clash of cultures between actors from New York City and residents of small-town Indiana, but it is a metaphor for the larger experience of going through life. It focuses on who you might meet and who you might learn from and who might learn from you. In this performance, we see people’s better selves and their worse selves and simply what it means for people to be themselves. There is plenty of dramatic tension to hold our interest throughout—and the clever lyrics in the songs help to lighten the mood (such as rhyming the word “lesbian” with “thespian.”) We see how the audience hangs onto every moment, especially the emotional pain that the characters experience. It is because of this pain that the characters change in unforeseeable ways. In all, the show contains a lot of constructive messages, perhaps the most important of which has to do with teaching tolerance. We learn that is essential not just to find your own inner strength and confidence but to affirm such qualities in others. By helping them, you help yourself become a stronger, more generous, and more genuine person.

Now go and set a date (and get a date) to see “The Prom” before it is at the end of its run!

“The Prom” is playing through November 19, 2023, at Northwestern University’s Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive, in Evanston.

Tickets are $11.00 – $33.00 including fees.

Performance schedule:

Thursday and Friday – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday – 2:00 and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday – 2:00 p.m.

Tickets are available at the box office, 30 Arts Circle Drive, or online at https://ci.ovationtix.com/1771/production/1171086.
E-mail the audience service team at wirtz@northwestern.edu or call 847-491-7282 if you have any questions. Seats are going fast!

For more information about this and other shows, visit: https://wirtz.northwestern.edu/2023-2024-season/.

Current COVID safety regulations can be found here. Presently, masks are not required.
https://wirtz.northwestern.edu/health-and-safety/.

Click for directions to the Barber Theater on campus: https://wirtz.northwestern.edu/evanston-directions/.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “The Prom”.