Opening at Park High Theater this April, “The Prom” made its stage debut, playing six nights over two weekends.
Returning to the lead after playing Donna in last year’s Mamma Mia, Jamy Randrup plays Emma Nolan, a gay teenage girl caught in controversy after the PTA in her Indiana town decides to cancel prom, rather than let her attend with a date of her choice. Citing the PTA policy that a date “must be of the opposite sex,” the prom is cancelled. But not everyone agrees with this.
Coming from outside the town of Edgewater and smarting from bad reviews in the New York Times in part over their portrayal of FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, a quartet of Broadway stars and their manager descend on the situation, ostensibly to help, but really to get their names back in the limelight, positively rather than negatively.
With several false steps by the Broadway stars and townspeople alike as the different worlds of big city and small town life collide, the musical includes several well sung and danced choral numbers, also using aspects like stage lighting to set the mood and convey emotion, be it light or dark. Over the course of the musical Emma, rejected by her parents and living with her grandmother, endures showing up alone to an empty ballroom after the prom is restored with a site move, then takes to the internet to tell her story, which leads to the finale of a second prom, this one non-school sponsored.
Undergoing several ups and downs through out, the musical theme settles on an interpretation of the command “Love thy Neighbor” (original Greek verb ‘agapaō’) that endeavors to accept people as they are, not for personal status enhancement or based on whether they are/would be accepted or ostracized by broader society. Following are quotes from some of the main actors.
From Principal Hawkins (Elliot Vanasse) when asked about a small town principal’s life:
“I had to learn to keep a higher composure and state of authority than my regular high school self. It’s been a blast to play Mr. Hopkins and I can’t wait to play two more shows (as of Friday April 26).
From Mrs. Greene (Suzie Mbu) on her character’s transformation over the musical:
“I think Mrs. Greene is a challenging person to understand , but once you do you see her reasons, event though they seem really extreme. She kind of lets go of societal pressure and hate raising her child in Indiana and just kind of letting go. I think her development throughout the show is beautiful.”
From Emma (Jamy Randrup) when asked “What does the play mean to you?
“To me this play is accessibility and inclusivity and bringing the arts to people, hopefully changing minds and broadening perspectives.”
From co-lead Alyssa Greene (Soukeyna N’daiye) on what the play means:
“To me this play is just about being who you are, and I’m really lucky that here at this school I’m even able to put on this show. Because there’s a lot of schools where this would not fly. This has cemented the idea that no matter who you are you deserve love and acceptance. And that should be a baseline thing. It should not be something that has to be earned.”
From Barry Glickman (Kenji Yang) on the musical before it debuted:
“It’s an honor to tell this story. It’s reality for a lot of kids.”
Directed by Tracy Caponigri with student co-directors Macy Craig and Sophie Szukics, ‘The Prom’ is now over—but with more from Park High Theater still yet to come!
