“Send in the Liberal Democrats from Broadway!”
Ah yes, the prom: a hallowed American tradition promised to every Highschool Senior filled with music, dancing, streamers, and sequins. Unless that is, you live in the middle of Edgewater, Indiana, and you just happen to be a lesbian who wants to bring her girlfriend to the big event. But not to worry! That’s why the heroes of Broadway are on their way to save the day, and make sure that everyone has the chance to attend their big night with who they want, and of course, with “Zazz!”
We meet our unlikely heroes from New York on the eve of the opening night of the Broadway show: “Eleanor!” The fact that it also just happens to be their closing night sets our crew into motion to save their reputations (and egos) by finding a PR-worthy social cause they can help with and make the world a better place (while the world sees them do so). Sure, there are causes like climate change and world hunger, but those just seem like so much… work. Surely helping a young girl in Indiana attend her senior prom with her girlfriend seems like a much more realistic success story; and a faster one too!
Music by Matther Skylar and sparkling lyrics by Chad Beguelin, will have you humming and tapping along in your seat. And of course, the upbeat choreography by Casey Nicholaw will have you wanting to dance along in no time. But it’s the prom! You were planning on bringing a date to dance with, weren’t you?
The hilarious book by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, is fabulous in its ability to cover what really is a very harrowing ordeal for our young teenage Emma (Kaden Kearney) into a story that takes us through the ups and downs with the characters as they navigate the homophobic waters of Edgewater, Indiana. But the book always ensures there are enough laughs along the way to guarantee the audience is never fully down for more than a few seconds. Even though homophobia makes for heavy subject matter, and for good reason, one of the lovely aspects of Martin and Beguelin’s work is that they are able to humanize the characters that are involved at the forefront of the story.
This is especially true of our leading lesbian, Emma, played by Kaden Kearney. While Kearney does a fine job of dealing with the character’s local community bullying and interfering Broadway divas left and right, the most wonderful aspect of Kearney’s performance is just how normal they are. Emma isn’t a character that wants to be in the spotlight. She only has a simple desire like any other teenager to dance at her prom with her girlfriend, Alyssa (Kalyn West). But Kearney is able to bring a wonderful balance of normalcy to the stage, really reinforcing the take that while the character is standing up for what she wants, at the heart of things she is just a normal person, and the fact that she desires to attend the prom with someone who just happens to be the same sex as her is something that shouldn’t matter because the desire to love and be loved is human.
Similar in their normalcy are other Indiana frontrunners like Mr. Hawkins (Sinclair Mitchell), who is the Principal of Emma’s school and her primary champion in protecting her civil rights against the discriminatory PTA. I found Hawkins to be a well written character, which is a testament to Martin and Beguelin’s work, but it is all Mitchell who is able to make the audience like him. Whether he’s advocating for the inclusion of his students, or fawning over his favorite Broadway starlet, Mitchell brings a soft yet radiating energy to his performance that showcases him as an exemplary hero of the stage and story.
It’s a good thing we have Emma and Hawkins to ground us, because the “Liberal Democrats from Broadway” make every attempt to take us on a trip to see the stars. Dee Dee Allen, played by Courtney Balan, exudes your typical leading-lady-type and is sure to make an entrance wherever she goes. None is more spectacular than her initial arrival to Indiana in the Act One number “It’s Not About Me.” Balan owns the stage (and the spotlight) as she embarks on her selfless, though at first selfish, endeavor to upend the sleepy Indiana town.
Angie, our chorus girl with a heart of gold and a set of legs that go on for days, played by Emily Borromeo, is endearing in her number “Zazz” as she coaches Emma to feel more comfortable to step into the spotlight. And Trent Oliver, played by Bud Webber, absolutely delights in his delivery of the lessons of “Love Thy Neighbor.” Additionally, his ability to carry-on the running joke about attending a certain prestigious academy all throughout the show is on-point and sure to make you chuckle each time.
But it is surely our final Man-of-The-Great-White-Way, Barry Glickman, played by Patrick Wetzel, that may steal your heart. Martin and Beguelin may have written the jokes, but Wetzel never fails to deliver with zing and impeccable timing that will bring out a snort-laugh or two in every scene. But where Wetzel really shines is in his ability to connect with the other characters, and make the audience feel that no matter how conceited and narcissistic he may be at the start, there are some real experiences in his character’s history that connect him with the task at hand.
If you’re looking for a night (or matinee) out that will uplift your spirits and your heart, look no further than this one. The Prom is truly a show that shines from beginning to end, and not just from the sequins (and oh, are there ever sequins!). But don’t snooze on this one, it will only be playing at the Hippodrome in Baltimore through the weekend. So what are you waiting for, a prom-posal? Go see The Prom!
Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.
The Prom plays through January 23,2022 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre in the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center— 12 N. Eutaw Street in the Bromo Seltzer Arts District of Baltimore, MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 752-7444 or purchase them purchase them online.
To read the interview with touring company member Emily Borromeo, click here.
