With a message of unconditional love and acceptance wrapped in an uplifting musical bow, The Prom is just the ticket in a challenging year of Covid-19 and dark theatres. According to Dori Berinstein, a producer for both the Broadway musical and the film, Murphy’s adaptation is not only true to the original musical but also a “love letter to Broadway.” With lavish sets and costumes, huge orchestrations, and toe-tapping theatrical production numbers, it’s sure to be a holiday crowd-pleaser. More importantly says Berinstein, is getting this story out to a broader audience.
The story follows Indiana teenager Emma (played by newcomer Jo Ellen Pellman) who wants to take her girlfriend Alyssa (played by stage veteran Ariana DeBose) to the school prom. The PTA president Mrs. Green (Kerry Washington) leads an effort that cancels the prom rather than allow same-sex couples. Adding humor and chaos are Broadway divas Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep) and Barry Glickman (James Cordon). When their new show Eleanor—The Eleanor Roosevelt Musical closes on opening night with career withering reviews, they seek out a small nearby injustice in which they might intervene and grab some good PR. Finding Emma’s story on social media, they hop on a bus and burst into the small town to “help.” Tagging along are actor/waiter Trent Oliver (played by Tony winner Andrew Rannells) and can’t-get-out-of-the-chorus dancer Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman). In the end, it’s the outsiders who are schooled and the community that eventually comes together to hold an inclusive statewide prom.
Says Berinstein, “It’s just exciting to think about all the people around the world that are going to see this story given the world we’re living in right now. I’m just ecstatic that it’s going to be a shot of joy for everyone during such a challenging time.”
