Returning to an Atlanta stage for the first time since its stellar 2016 debut at the Alliance, Out Front Theatre’s production of The Prom generates big-time joy with its zany comedy and great music.
The cast of the show, running through November 11 at Out Front, is its greatest asset, though the material by Chad Beguelin, Bob Martin and Matthew Sklar remains crisp and hilarious. And the show’s message of positivity and inclusion is evergreen. Its story transcends a mere high school musical, resonating with larger themes and bigger laughs as characters — no matter their age — learn and grow.
The premise of The Prom, which traveled from Atlanta to Broadway before being adapted into a Meryl Streep film, is intentionally nutty. An Indiana girl named Emma finds herself at the center of a political firestorm after she says she wants to bring her girlfriend to her high school prom. The PTA retaliates by canceling the event.
Meanwhile, a gaggle of fading, egomaniacal, liberal Broadway actors, desperate to seem altruistic after years of bad press, decide to invade Indiana and take up Emma’s fight — if it gets them publicity.
Soon they’re singing hippie songs about gay rights during the halftime show at a tractor pull — while also being genuinely moved by Emma’s fight.
One of the most charming strengths of this script is that — though it places the colorful Broadway characters as the apparent protagonists — it makes Emma the secret lead and the emotional heart. Though you can cast a powerhouse actress like the great Wendy Melkonian to play two-time Tony Award-winning diva Dee Dee Allen, the whole show rests on the shoulders of Wynne Kelly as Emma. And Kelly nails it.
She’s heartbreaking and funny, and her voice is clear and beautiful. Playing the secret romance alongside Tatyana Mack as Alyssa, Kelly generates real sparks when the two sneak a glance or harmonize in a duet.
The whole cast is terrific. Melkonian, a warm and lovely person offstage, is having a blast as the absurdly self-involved, high-heeled and hilarious Dee Dee, and Melkonian’s performances of “It’s Not About Me” and “The Lady’s Improving” are worth the price of admission alone.
Robert Hindsman’s Barry Glickman is a scene-stealer. Barry, coping with insecurities through flashy, fussy quips, is such a sweet character, and Hindsman is lovely in the role.
And, goodness, Chris McKnight and Precious West shine in their roles as Julliard grad-turned-waiter Trent and chorus girl Angie.The show graciously gives each main character at least one solo and moment in the spotlight.
Alan Phelps does solid work as the comparatively sedate, reasonable school principal. And Vallea E. Woodbury gives her PTA villainess such harsh edges and layers.
Really, it’s such a fun show.
Director Caty Bergmark coordinated all the elements of the show well. It’s sharp and rousing. The choreography from Atarius Armstrong is strong. The scenic design by Paul Conroy and Sydney Lee and the lighting by David Reingold are particularly notable during the musical’s multiple party scenes.
During the opening night performance, there were some issues regarding backing track volumes for the earlier songs. It made some lyrics, and thus some jokes, hard to understand.
Out Front’s mission as a theater is to highlight LGBTQ+ stories, and its strongest work comes from these uplifting, funny musicals, which don’t dwell for long in darker moments.
The Prom is one of its best.
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Benjamin Carr, a member of the American Theatre Critics Association, is an arts journalist and critic who has contributed to ArtsATL since 2019. His plays have been produced at the Vineyard Theatre in Manhattan as part of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival and at the Center for Puppetry Arts. His novel, Impacted, was published by The Story Plant in 2021.
