In this day and age when most of the
nation is debating our current president's opinions on transgender and LGBTQ
rights, isn't it about time for an original musical comedy on Broadway that
shows one girl's crusade to have a high school prom to attend with her lesbian
girlfriend, with some help from Broadway's "liberal democrat" actors?
Well, guess what? It truly is.
The new musical, The Prom, which is currently playing at the
Longacre Theatre, is a timely and wildly funny musical comedy filled which
makes fun of the lifestyle of those hard-working musical theatre actors, but
with glee. It's also the brightest spot of this Broadway season so far because
it's a show that wasn't adapted from a movie, song, book or fact-based story.
The show starts with two bigwig Broadway stars, Barry Glickman (Brooks
Ashmanskas) and longtime diva and Tony winner Dee Dee Allen (real life Tony
winner Beth Leavel) celebrating their opening night of their new musical based
on the life on Eleanor Roosevelt (a takeoff on Hamilton, so to
speak). It also unfortunately happens to be the show's closing night as well,
thanks to a hostile pan from the critic of the New York Times. So, instead of
looking for another acting role, the two team up with waiter/former sitcom actor
Trent (Christopher Sieber), chorus girl Angie (Angie Schworer) and publicist
Sheldon (Josh Lamon) to become celebrity activists.
The first thing they needed to do that was to find a worthy cause they can
support on. They find one on the internet when they learn of a high school
student from Indiana by the name of Emma (Caitlin Kinnunen) who wanted to bring
her lesbian girlfriend to the prom, but the PTA decided to cancel the event to
prevent it from happening. So, the gang of five decide to go to Indiana to help
Emma's cause and put the prom back on schedule.
When they arrive in the Hoosier State, they're seen as outsiders to those
conservative folks. But the school's principal, Mr. Hawkins (understudy David
Josefsberg, at the performance that I attended) believes in the stars' campaign
to make this prom happen for Emma and the rest of the students. Only the PTA
head, Mrs. Greene (Courtenay Collins) seems unconvinced about reinstating the
prom, but she doesn't even know that her daughter, Alyssa (Isabelle McCalla) is
the girl Emma is falling in love with. How does it all turn out in the end? I
would tell you more, but it's very important for this critic to not give a spoiler
as to ruin his audience.
The
show's director-choreographer, Casey Nicholaw (of Mean Girls, Book
of Mormon and Aladdin fame) helps give this new
musical its freewheeling, crowd-pleasing energy and loads it full with some
top-notch showstopping numbers. The chuckle-filled book by Bob Martin and Chad
Beguelin with filled with lots of pop culture and Broadway in-jokes. The score
by Matthew Sklar (music) and Beguelin (lyrics) is terrific and memorable with
rousing tunes such as the both pop-infused "Time To Dance" and
"Tonight Belongs to You", the gospel-esque "Love Thy
Neighbor" and the tender and lovely "Dance With You" which in my
opinion is one of the most heartfelt love songs that I ever heard on a Broadway
stage. Notice must also go to Ann Roth and Matthew Pachtman's contemporary and
glittering costumes and Scott Pask's first-rate sets.
The
cast, which includes some young actors in the ensemble making their Broadway
debuts, is simply sensational. Ashmanskas and Sieber are both hysterical and
Schworer is delightful while Josefsberg is wonderful and Kinnunen proves to be
one of Broadway's breakout stars of the season. But for my money, Leavel steals
the show grand dame style in a comic tour-de-force performance as a diva enough
to make Patti LuPone very jealous. I have a hunch that Leavel may grab a second
Featured Actress Tony for this performance come next June.
Like Kinky Boots, Torch Song and Head Over
Heels, this show delivers with a dose of self-acceptance and respect for
people of every gender and identity. So, if you wish to have a fun and exciting
time at a musical comedy that show its love to the LGBTQ community, Broadway, the actors who work in the theatre and the theatregoers who enjoy it with
respect, this Prom is worth an invite.
The Buzz on The Prom:
Rating:
***1/2
Bottom Line:
A wildly funny and very timely musical comedy and the brightest spot of this
Broadway season so far. It's like Hairspray, but with LGBTQ style.
Recommended
Best for: Ages 10 and up. Contains adult language.
Playing at:
The Longacre Theatre on 220 West 48th Street (between Broadway and 8th Avenue)
for an open-ended run. For tickets, go to telecharge.com, todaytix.com/x/nyc or
call 212-239-6200.
Comments
Post a Comment