One thing’s universal! Life’s no dress rehearsal! And they are certainly making waves before it’s through! Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre has indeed built a prom! For everyone! And they’re showing us— it can be done! Kicking off the 2024 season under the stars, ASGT is bringing The Prom to life with its powerful, important message and it’s a real glittering spectacle well worth attending. Directed and Musical Directed by David Merrill, with Choreography by Elysia Merrill, this heartfelt, feel-good, lesson-teaching musical is the perfect start to the summer season at Maryland’s official “Theatre Under the Stars.” It’s earth-shaking, ground-breaking— nightly they are changing lives!
It takes a village, especially for the labor of love that is community theatre, and Director David Merrill and the production team is coming with a deep-benched village that creates an inspiring production, telling an important story with a very talented cast all mixed into the works. Merrill, who doubles up as the show’s Set Designer, alongside Peter Kaiser, keeps the scenery simple. Known for its two-tier structing, the stage at ASGT is often a static point of complication when it comes to various and sundry scenic challenges, but Merrill has this one well in hand. Basic brick walls, which are chock-a-block with surprises— like the drop-down ‘Murphy Bed’ for Emma’s room or the four-sided swivel pillars that have lockers, cabinetry, and a whole bunch of other simple scenic pieces embedded into them— keep the staging area clean and clear for effective and swift scenic changes. It’s Set Dressers Carol Jones and Melody Volkman who deserve an extra nod of praise here as well, adding little touches— like the pennant banners for the gym scene, the James Madison High School hanging banner, and ultimately the décor for the prom-finale. The oversized pride flags— in a whole variety of inclusive representation— along with shimmer curtains and rainbow bunting are deceptively simple— up they pop, without fuss, and yet they look glamorous, fabulous, and totally like something you would see at a progressively inclusive prom.
Creating illumination in the outdoor venue of “Theatre Under the Stars” is its own challenging feat and one that Lighting Designer Dianne Trickey-Rokenbrod rises to and meets with flying colors, quite literally. There’s a balance of rainbow lighting used all throughout, particularly during the pride-anthem numbers that really speak to the message of the show as a whole and effectively portray a positive, inclusive party vibe, in addition to working well within the challenges and confines of the open-air stage space. Trickey-Rokenbrod makes excellent use of sweeping spotlights and full-color washes throughout the performance as well— and the effect created for Truck-A-Saurus (which half credit probably needs to go to the Set Design Team and the Props Mistress, Carol Jones) with the fog and the headlights (and wicked SFX from Sound Designer Zach Sexton) is just wild and really gives you that amped up energy to add to the hilarity of the scene that follows.
As Mel Brooks and The Producers once said… “it needs glamor! And glitz! It need sequins and—” well you get the picture…and so does Costume Designer Lisa Chadwick and her Design Team Assistants Valerie Yearwood, Jane Giles, Jenna Grifo, Wren Lake, and Marge McGuga. The Prom is more than just pretty, shiny dresses, though there are plenty of those too! One of the most stunning outfits is that powder-blue vintage tux with the orange-cream ruffle shirt featured on the Emma character for the prom scene, which is the perfect compliment to Alyssa’s spangly orange prom dress. Chadwick and her fab-five assistants make sure that everyone looks sharp for both sets of prom dances but goes beyond the call of duty to ensure that the “Liberal Democrats from Broadway” are equally as spangly when it comes to their varying flavors of couture. Rarely do you see Dee Dee Allen in anything that isn’t shimmering and glimmering and catching the light. There’s an appropriate amount of glitter and glam assigned to the Barry Glickman character as well. And the high school ‘look’ is perfectly on point, everything from the cheerleaders to the jocks, and of course the unruly rainbow suspenders and chaos that accompany the ‘Godspell kids’ when they show up for “Love Thy Neighbor.” Costume of the show is easily hands-down the Moulin Rouge/Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat lovechild corset-tutu-ribbon-pull-skirt affair seen on Angie during “The Acceptance Song.”
It’s always a blessing and a treat to have a live pit orchestra for stage musicals, especially at the community level and Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre has that blessed treat with their nine-person orchestra, led by Conductor Emily Sergo (who also sits on Keys1.) Featuring Sergo, Trent Goldsmith on Keys2, Allyson Wesley on trumpet, David Lewis on trombone, Julie Rosekraus on electric & acoustic guitar, Mari Hill on reed, William George on drums, Jeremy Ulrich on percussion, and Jeff Eckert on bass, the tempos is well-paced, the songs are perfectly balanced, and there’s only one scene change that requires an extra hint of vamping, which Sergo and her pit provide exquisitely.
The on-stage vocals are stellar. David Merrill, who serves as the show’s Musical Director in addition to being the Director (assisted by both Elysia Merrill & Atticus Cooper Boidy), Harmonies come together smoothly, particularly whenever the four ‘Broadway stars of a certain age’ have to blend their vocality in a number, and the full company numbers are hearty and robust with emotion and technical skill. The show sounds balanced. There’s enthusiasm and emotion in all of the musical numbers, which just feeds a positive energy out to the audience, creating an exciting experience for theatergoers all round.
Being a show filled with high school characters and high-school energy, there’s a lot to be said for Elysia Merrill’s energetic, party-vibe choreography. There are aerobatic, gymnastic moves— featuring some back-handsprings, among other wild flippy, cartwheel-looking things happening— during “Tonight Belongs to You” and “It’s Time to Dance” that really just intensify the overall verve of the show as this talented ensemble of young performers are out there dancing their behinds off. But Merrill also includes some more ‘musically theatre’ styled dance routines, particularly when the ‘Liberal Democrats from Broadway’ have to march or move around the stage. We get a lot of sweeping side steps, fling kicks, and some other iconic nods to things of that genre. Merrill’s choreography is well-executed, perfectly blocked and spaced, with excellent and balanced usage of slide-through windows so that you can see as many people at a time as possible doing these dance routines, and utilizes moves upright, half-bent, and on the stage floor for a true variety that really is a visual feast.
Director David Merrill has an eye for detail, which he puts to use in excavating golden nuggets from the libretto or the lyrics of the show. There are so many treasured moments that Merrill calls attention to in this production that just deepen the richness of the overall story experience, one could write a whole review just picking out those little moments. Two in particular that come to mind— one cheeky and one gut-punching— is during “We Look to You” where three ensemble (Sierra Basilio, Lisa Pellittiere, Tia Silver) members appear in ‘crew blacks’ and dance their way on to cleverly execute a scenery-shift, flawlessly timed to the line ‘…people dance in unison and no one wonders why.’ The other is during “Alyssa Greene” where Merrill has the two cheerleading BFFs appear holding trophies and ribbons, and Mrs. Greene shows up to put the homecoming crown on Alyssa’s head, but then when Alyssa hits that emotionally-blindsiding line, “…cause mom’s convinced if you’re perfect, your father might come back…” Merrill brings on a man from the ensemble, meant to represent the absent father figure; it’s such a striking and gut-punching visual that you get the impact of that line tenfold.
And the show is peppered with little moments like this all throughout; not the least of which is the overall notion of inclusivity. You’ve got Alyssa and Emma singing their bits of “You Happened” over on stage left (house right) while the rest of the teen ensemble are enacting silent-but-seen variations on their own “Prom-posals” giving the ensemble extra stage activity and reasons to feel invested and involved. Making smart use of the two-tiered set, Merrill sets forth visionary blocking plans, like having Dee Dee Allen do most of “It’s Not About Me” from the top-deck and having the ensemble up there for “Tonight Belongs to You (Reprise)” with the ‘decorations’ on the main stage below for the other half of that act one finale moment. There’s a whole host of little decisions that make the production pop, in addition to the feel-good vibes of a cast truly enjoying themselves, having fun, and its showing every step of the way.
The ensemble is strong, courageous and fierce, as they move through every moment of this production. Including Sierra Basilio, Morgan Binnix, Brandon Chisholm, April Currey, Anya Lengbeyer, Cassia Lengbeyer, Ronnie McIntyre, Lisa Pellittiere, B.J. Robertson, Tia Silver, Cristal Santiago Vélez, and Matthew Walter, you get a great deal of talent both singing, dancing, and acting from each member of this ensemble. Keep your eye on Matthew Walter during the “motel check-in” scene as he gets to go gaga-fanning over Trent Oliver; it’s hysterical. B.J. Robertson, Brandon Chisholm, Tia Silver, and Anya Lengbeyer— playing Kevin, Nick, Kaylee, and Shelby, respectively— also have their moments in the spotlight, shining vividly during both “You Happened” and again, especially for Silver and Lengbeyer during “Love Thy Neighbor.” The quartet of performers has strong dancing and singing instincts which makes them solid choices for their respective roles. Bonus shout-out to Kylie Airin Sjolie in the role of Sheldon Saperstein, delivering a top-notch level of sass and comedic timing when it comes to those saucy one-lined zingers written into Chad Beguelin & Bob Martin’s libretto.
Fully encapsulating the ruthlessness of Mrs. Greene, Liz Mulligan is the epitome of that character’s villainous existence. It’s hard to truly label the Mrs. Greene character as ‘villain’ because in the character’s eyes, she’s just standing up for what she believes in (however wrong those beliefs of exclusivity, bigamy, and prejudice may be) but Mulligan does a superb job of channeling all of the ills and antagonizing mannerisms, as well as facial expressions and body language that really make the character difficult to swallow. While the Mrs. Greene character doesn’t have a song, there are moments where Mulligan gets to showcase her vocal capabilities, which are on par with the rest of the amazing talent in the production. Watching her during the PTA assembly, particularly once Dee Dee barnstorms the meeting with “It’s Not About Me”, is a true honest to God riot of fun— her facials and her overly animated body language is a real scream and you don’t know whether to laugh at her or just be horrified at her responses. The unyielding rigidity which Mulligan utilizes for 90% of the show creates a sharp juxtaposition for her emotionally disruptive fissure during her final moments on stage before “It’s Time to Dance” and it’s a really striking moment.
Delivering an impeccable balance between humor and sincerity, Chris Badawi as Principal Hawkins slides right into the chaos of the show as a whole. While he only gets the one song, “We Look to You” becomes this torch song for both Dee Dee Allen and the notion of theatre as true cathartic escape and Badawi sings it superbly. The song’s range is situated right in the sweet spot of Badawi’s vocal wheelhouse and he delivers multiple levels of emotion, including some light humor to match the lyrics of the number, and it’s a truly touching and also uplifting moment. Badawi feels earnest and easy in the role, both interacting with Emma as a mentor figure and with Dee Dee as he navigates meeting his celebrity idol/icon. Watching the shift during “The Lady’s Improving” as he tries desperately to avoid and ignore her to once again totally ‘fanning’ and fawning for her is really a delightful treat as both his body language and facial expressions are fully vivacious and animated.
Mic belts aside, Tom Wyatt is carefully making Trent Oliver his own thing. As the washed-up, wannabe actor of Julliard, Wyatt’s character reads as stiff and formulaic, an unusual but not entirely unappreciated choice as it lends itself to the rigidity of the stereotype that often comes with those ‘Julliard’ pontificators. Where Wyatt really wows the audience is with his “Love Thy Neighbor”, the litmus test of anyone in the role. Fully invested, wildly energetic, and belting to be heard (since that whole opening night mic belt incident, which is impressive because in an open-air space…you could still hear him pretty darn well), Wyatt puts some pluck and punch into that full-on gospel-tent-revival style number (which also has the ensemble kids dancing out into the house to double down on the efficacy of the song’s message) and wins the audience over.
Representing the ‘EveryGirl’ when it comes to chorus-line washouts, Jamie Erin Miller makes a delightful Angie Dickinson, particularly when it comes to her big moment in the spotlight. The Angie character is written to be slightly less narcissistic than the Barry and Dee Dee characters so there’s less of a transformative journey for the character to trek upon, however Miller finds a way to make that transition from Broadway-big-shot to empathetic-individual inside the confines of the script, and she does it mostly in her connective moment with Emma just at the top of Act II. “Zazz” features some flashy duo-step dance moves with the pair of them but not before Miller goes fully into this narrative anecdote— complete with a greatly humorous Bob Fosse impersonation— which really endears her character both to Emma and the audience. It’s the ‘coaching’ during the mid-break section of “Zazz” that really solidifies the character-arc-growth for Miller’s Angie and her vocals for this number, as well as her dance moves, are very impressive.
Dueling divas— Dee Dee Allen (Traci Denhardt) and Barry Glickman (Charlie Rogers)— seem to know no bounds when it comes to soaring over the top in their respective veins. While Denhardt is serving up full swings of diva extraordinaire, putting that textbook definition of ‘entitled celebrity’ on display, Rogers is playing up the flamboyance of a screaming gay queen from Broadway. Denhardt is packed with personality, particularly when she’s shoving her big solo, “It’s Not About Me” down everyone’s throats, strutting around the stage like Dee Dee owns the school and the PTA meeting was being hosted as a warm-up for her headlining number. There are some excellent comedic moments in Denhardt’s portrayal as Dee Dee as well, particularly when she’s trying to ‘change’ and all of the quips that accompany those moments of character growth. With vocal acrobatics well in hand, Denhardt slides her way through “The Lady’s Improving” and makes a nice compliment to the other quartet numbers in which Dee Dee is a crucial part. Rogers, who embodies all of the over-the-top theatrics of talking with his hands, throwing shade with his facial expressions, and have hyper-reactions to the littlest things, has a full, well-rounded sound whenever he has to sing. You get it first in “Tonight Belongs to You” when he’s helping prep Emma for prom but you really get to see him do his vocal best during “Barry Is Going to Prom.” There’s a heart-stopping moment of truth for Rogers too, when he gets to confront Mrs. Greene with truth in that moment before “It’s Time To Dance” and it’s really a profound experience to behold.
Stealing the show, both Alyssa Greene (Shannon McGowan) and Emma Nolan (Zoe Smith) are the champions of all the messages in this show. McGowan and Smith are the perfect pick for this pair of roles. While McGowan’s Alyssa isn’t granted as many singing solo moments (take it up with Chad Beguelin, Bob Martin, and Matthew Sklar) as the Emma character, she finds so many musical moments in which to shine, not the least of which is her eponymous solo. Whenever she’s singing in duet with Smith, their voices just blend beautifully like they were always intended to sing together and the repressed emotions that McGowan channels with great consistency all throughout the performance really help supercharge her confessions at the end of the production. Her delivery of “Alyssa Greene” starts off with rage that feels as if it’s about to burst through but at the last second gets reeled back in, which is the perfect reflection of how her character is forced to live under the scrutiny of her mother. McGowan brings such joy and jubilance to the role it’s difficult to imagine anyone else playing Alyssa Greene.
Zoe Smith is a wonder, truly gifted with both singing capabilities, storytelling prowess, and an overall effortless ease when it comes to moving through her dance moves. She finds the balance in “Just Breathe” which has moments of hard patter and dark humor but also sweeping choruses of more ballad-style beauty; Smith nails both sides of this song expertly. The sheer, unadulterated glee that resonates through her voice when she sings her half of “Dance with You” is so infectious you’ll immediately want to get up and dance with someone you’re in love with. And you’ll feel your heart crack open when she heart-pours into “Tonight Belongs to You (Reprise)” because she’s so emotionally swallowed by the number. And the way she sets up and delivers “Unruly Heart” defies emotional description; it has to be seen and heard to fully encapsulate the stunning power that it delivers.
So what are you waiting for? It’s time to dance! And Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre is changing lives with their production of The Prom! They’re giving it lots of Zazz and they just want to dance with you but the only way you can make any of that happen is if you get your tickets to see The Prom before it’s over on June 15th!
Running Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission
The Prom plays through June 15th 2024 at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre— 143 Compromise Street in Historic Annapolis, MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 268-9212 or purchase them online.
