Jensen Stoneking and Maggie Caliendo in The Prom
The Prom, currently running at Augustana College, is a happy, even joyous musical, even though its ripped-from-the-headlines premise is an utter disheartening downer.
Two high school students are told they can't attend the prom together because they are women. They object. The school cancels the prom. Other students bully the pair. Parents organize a private prom, supposedly for all students, and a second, ultra-secret private prom to which the couple aren't invited. Yes, this really happened – in 2010, in Mississippi, and it made international news.
Yet this Indiana-set musical retelling, which I saw on Thursday's opening night, is fun, funny, overflowing with catchy, well-written tunes, and makes its point without grimness or lamentation. Boasting music and lyrics by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin and a book by Beguelin and Bob Martin, The Prom won the 2019 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical, earned seven Tony nominations (including for Best Musical), and was adapted into a 2020 Netflix film. Directed and choreographed by Shelley Cooper, Augustana's production runs very smoothly, has an exceptional cast, and the technical aspects are well done. Music director Maureen Holmes facilitated strong vocal performances, and co-music director Rob Elfline led the terrific 12-member orchestra.
Maggie Caliendo is sublime as Emma, the student beset on all sides by the school and the town for simply wanting to dance at the prom with her date. Emma gets discouraged and frustrated, and I can see her feeling the need to retreat at times. But her steel spine allows her to advocate for herself, and Caliendo is both charming and inspiring when singing "Unruly Heart."
Jensen Stoneking plays Emma's girlfriend Alyssa, who's not out, torn about showing her feelings for Emma, and unwillingly playing the part of the perfect daughter to her mother, which she sings about poignantly in "Alyssa Greene." Both Stoneking and Caliendo have strong, sweet singing voices, and their portrayals invite sympathy for their characters, but not pity.
The twist in this fictional version of The Prom's true story is that four Broadway actors think that rallying behind a small-town high-school injustice in flyover country will somehow help their nose-diving careers. I can't quite make sense of that; although notables did rally to this cause in real life in 2010, they were already major celebs. Anyway, we make allowances for the unlikely – this is musical theatre, after all – and this high-kicking, karma-bringing, lovable quartet is all about musical theatre.
Julie Tarling plays Dee Dee, the most successful of the four (though the show she recently starred in closed on opening night). Tarling herself has abundant star quality, and shines radiantly in her two big numbers: the hilarious "It's Not About Me" and the beseechingly apologetic "The Lady's Improving." Kaden Micklos is likewise dazzling and energetic as Dee Dee's erstwhile co-star Barry, who seems to be in two or three places simultaneously much of the time, showing off dance and comedy skills as well as vocal ones.
Kallik Ewen plays Trent, who won't let anyone forget that he attended New York City's prestigious Juilliard School … but is currently appearing in a non-Equity road production of Godspell. Ewen is wonderful in the show's preachiest number, the fittingly gospel-flavored "Love Thy Neighbor," during which he points out that some self-proclaimed Christians break biblical injunctions. And director Cooper stepped in this week to fill the role of Angie, who aspires to star in Bob Fosse's Chicago, but is just a reluctant ensemble member. Angie's amusing number “Zazz” owes much in its rhythm and wah-wah trumpet orchestration to Chicago's "Razzle Dazzle," and Becki Arnold's costuming gives a nice tip of the gold bowler to Fosse, as well.
Max de Buys is torn, sometimes tentative, and sweet as school principal Mr. Hawkins – but when he gets angry, we know it. A comical Dash Crow is put-upon publicist Sheldon, who simply cannot get the Broadway babies a spot on Jimmy Fallon, but manages to book them at halftime at a monster truck rally. Sylvia Hughes plays the PTA president we love to hate … and is also Alyssa's mom. Emma's classmates are portrayed by Audrey Siblik, Brennan Hampton, Elijah Morton, Emma Miller, Fiona Brady, and Maya Smith, all of whom excel in one of my favorite numbers, "You Happened." Morton, as Nick, exhibits a gratifying mixture of adolescent cockiness and hesitancy, and Hampton, as Kevin, has an exceptionally fine voice. The Prom's adult figures, including parents and reporters, are enacted by Aniyah Davis, Avery Denius, and Stephanie Skrabacz, and the disciples from Godspell – who show up faithfully as hippie-clad back-up singers for their Jesus (Trent) – are played, with beatific smiles, by Francesca Mastrangeli, Joshua Nelson, Maddy Overstreet, Madeline Hutchinson, and Max Montgomery.
Scenic and lighting designer Mike Turczynski provided a clever rolling, rotating set piece to serve as Emma's bedroom, a hotel room, and Mr. Hawkins' office, and while The Prom's set changes are numerous, the crew performed them quickly on opening night. In fact, the commitment and hard work of all is evident, and with a solidly entertaining script and score, Augie's got a winner in this exuberant show.
The Prom runs at Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center (3750 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL) through March 16, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)794-7306 and visiting Augustana.edu/tickets.
