The Prom
At Playhouse on Park
By: Karen Isaacs - Jul 30, 2024
High school can be painful for many students – trying to fit in, adjusting to a new “you,” and trying out independence. While graduation marks the end, it is the prom that often causes the most heartbreak. It brings up all the insecurities of the age as well as over-the-top expectations.
The Prom, now at Playhouse on Park through Sunday, Aug. 18, brings all those teenage uncertainties into view. At the same time, it also satirizes celebrities who plunge into causes without much thought.
Emma (played sensitively by Lucy D’Addario) is a gay high school senior in a small town in Indiana. All she wants to do is go to the prom and dance with her girlfriend. But the local PTO, which runs the prom, is up in arms; they will cancel it rather than let Emma attend. We have all seen or read about similar controversies across the country. From boys attending with boys or girls attending with girls, to boys or girls wishing to dress as the opposite sex. It seems to rile everyone up into a frenzy. Somehow this will cause the downfall of civilization.
On Broadway, slightly over-the-hill Tony-winning performer DeeDee Allen has just suffered a flop musical about Eleanor Roosevelt. When a critic calls her and her co-star Barry Glickman narcissists, they decide with some pals to do something about it. They will show that they care about other people by taking up a cause. Someone recalls the story of Emma and off they go. For Barry, it brings back unhappy memories of that time in his own life.
The group arrives and their egos are deflated when they find that practically no one knows who they are, and that their help is not wanted. Emma really doesn’t want to call attention to the situation, the principal is trying hard to resolve it, and the PTO leaders don’t want outsiders telling them what to do.
By the final curtain, the performers, the parents, and the teens have all learned something. The teens had taken a step towards independence. If there is a message, it is to trust the youth.
The production is blessed with terrific performances by Susan Haefner as DeeDee and Benjamin Howes as Barry. Haefner was a terrific Rosemary Clooney in Tenderly—the Rosemary Clooney Story. Each shows off their vocal, dancing, and comic chops.
As Emma, Lucy D’Addario has to provide the heart of the musical; her Emma wants to fade in the background and be just like everyone else, but she is determined not to live a lie. It is fascinating to watch Emma develop confidence. Kendyl Grace Davis as her girlfriend Alyssa who is not out, conveys the pressures of conforming not just to the school culture but also to her mother’s expectations.
Both Carolyn Burke as Angie, the long-running Chicago ensemble member, and Zachary Kropp as Trent – the unemployed actor who keeps mentioning his Julliard diploma are very good.
Of course, the cast has good material to work with – book and lyrics by Chad Beguelin, with additional book contributions by Bob Martin and music by Matthew Sklar.
They create a blend of show tunes, romance and comic songs. “Dance with You” is truly touching as is “Unruly Heart.” On the comic side are “It’s Not About Me” and “Barry Is Going to Prom.”
Robert Mintz has directed and choreographed. The choreography is terrific. But is hampered by the small cast. Only four “teenagers” do most of the dancing.
Usually, Playhouse on Park is known for its creative use of its large stage and scenic design. However, I was disappointed in the sparseness of the playing area, with minimal props and suggestions of the different scenes. The costumes also seemed less creative.
A major problem was how empty the stage felt. It is fine to have performers double in various roles. But this is a high school – and except for Emma and Alyssa there are only four other students. In the second act three additional students appear, but they seem less like characters and more like fillers – they don’t interact with the others or are even listed in the program as characters.
The nine-piece ensemble, hidden off-stage, is great.
The Prom is worthwhile seeing because of the fine performances and choreography.
Tickets are available at PlayhouseOnPark.org.