THE PROM Previews

[Mitch101]

I know I’m sort of new on here, but I had to post about The Prom.  I was lucky enough to see this first preview tonight and I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard.  First off, the cast is so crazy talented.  Beth has a solo in the second act where she leaves a room and then comes right back in with a slight costume change and just steals the damn show. The audience went ballistic.  The actor playing the principal looked like he was as blown away by her as the rest of us.  But then if that wasn’t great enough, about two scenes later there is Brooks doing his big solo.  I don’t want to give anything away here, but I think what happens in this musical moment really sums up the whole joyous experience for me.  His character is so over the top, very Nathan Lane throughout. But then something happens in the plot that causes him to really look within.  Unlike some of the other characters, Brooks’ character, because of this particular song, is forced to look within.  And what could have been this big splashy Peter Allan number turns out to be this explosion of happiness.  I don’t think anyone in the audience was prepared for that moment. There really isn’t anything else in the show that tops it.  That’s not an insult. 

Those who have commented on the ugly set actually aren’t that far off. But what you can’t tell out of context is that it seems they want to present a very simple world.  No glitz and glamour, like Mean Girls.  And trust me, there is no attempt to make Hoosiers look stupid.  Everyone is made to look stupid here.  That’s the point of the show.  It’s very subversive, actually, I thought.  And that simplicity of the set with its rotating panels to change locations was a clever device and didn’t distract from the heart and soul of the story.

I think it’s a very old fashioned kind of musical, but again, that’s the point.  It’s so sad that in this day and age this story is still relevant.  So to see it handled in an old fashioned way seemed to me very smart.  I especially loved the Lin Manuel reference!  

I loved the music so much I can’t wait for the digital download to come out.  My favorite songs were the Beth number in act two (The Lady’s Improving) and Brooks number (The Prom).  Also, the principal has a ballad in the first act (Look to the Stars) that really took my breath away.  A very quiet, beautiful melody that I can still hum.

I had two gripes.  I’m not entirely sure why the tall leggy blond is one of the leads.  She has a fun song near the top of Act Two called “Zazz.”  But unlike all the other characters, she doesn’t seem to change by the end of the show.  So the point of her song seems lost.  The other characters have their big song and it relates directly to how they change. My other big gripe is that Beth has a joke in Act One about Applebees.  But she is also a big Broadway diva.  Ah, doesn’t she know there’s an Applebees right next to the Winter Garden? It’s been there for years.  Either there is another joke opportunity there, or the two book writers have sort of failed the character in that moment.

The choreography is rather generic hip hop stuff via Broadway’s interpretation.  There is one great number in Act One called “You Happened” when all the kids make prom proposals.  That was the one time I felt the choreography really integrated into the story telling.  Otherwise, it’s just a lot of dance at the gym sort of stuff. There’s also an extended bow section with lots of dancing.  Not sure what that was all about, but boy was the audience up and cheering their asses off.  Myself included.  It’s sad we still have to tell this story, but if we’re going to tell it, I for one want to be entertained like this while I’m being served my medicine.

[RaisedOnMusicals]

seanmcdonagh121 said: "I loved this show tonight.
I was skeptical but my god did I fall in love.
I think it’ll get compared to Mean Girls a lot and while I did think the score for MG was slightly stronger this show has ten times as much heart and dare I say even funnier.
Beth Leavel is a shoe in for a tony nom.
I was almost in tears during ?Unruly Heart’ and I seriously hope this show gets the chance it deserves.
This is definitely my favourite show in a while."

Just for future reference, the expression is “shoo in”, not “shoe in”.

 

[TheActr97J]

Jordan Catalano said: "If you don’t walk out of this show with a tear in your eye and a smile on your face then you are DEAD INSIDE. I want to live inside of this musical. "

THIS. This times a thousand! I hope this show is the sleeper hit it ought to be, because it’s been a good long while since a new, original musical with an original score left me buzzing like this. 

 

[WhizzerMarvin]

The Prom is a very special show, not because of its merits, but because it is such a rare songbird on display, The musical you can most compare it to in terms of tone is the Lucky Guy that played at The Little Shubert. In a way, all the things that make The Prom so bad are what make it so good. It’s so shocking that you will laugh because there’s no other human reaction to have when you witness something so ridiculous. 

Like Lucky Guy, The Prom is blessed with an honest to goodness tuneful score. It is a far better score than Mean Girls, even though 3/4 of the songs (and characters) in The Prom are extraneous and/or have an identity crisis. 

The Prom is really two different shows smushed together. The first is the tale of four Broadway actors (and their manager/friend/sidekick), who travel to Indiana in search for a good cause- that won’t be too much work- so they can rehab their narcissistic images. There is a lengthy opening scene with them and it sort of seems like they are being set up to be our protagonists, or at least the main characters. But then things shift to Indiana where story #2 begins: a lesbian student wants to bring her date to prom- plotholes abound- but the prom has been canceled and everyone hates her. It’s all very 13 (the musical), but gay prom instead of Bar Mitzvah. 

The lesbian, Emma/Elphaba/Cady/Evan H/Carrie White, has been ostracized and just wants the whole situation to go away. She’s a reluctant hero and certainly doesn’t seek out the help of our Broadway crusaders. This leaves things in a bit of a muddle. Emma, her secret lover and the school principal get mopey sad songs, because they are sad, and the Broadway actors get big brassy productions because they are Broadway actors. 

The show is in a weird sweet spot of attempting to be intentionally campy (not “pure” camp), but also being so bad that it transcends the intentional and exists on a plane a pure, undiluted unintentional camp as well. It’s both at the same time! 

Of course, the Broadway characters are played by some of our biggest scenery chewers in the biz at the moment. Brooks is really channeling Jack McFarland here and Beth is playing a version of Karen Walker. (One last week’s Will & Grace, the immigrant in the cell said to Karen that she seemed like a very terrible woman who sometimes stumbles into an act of kindness, and that’s a good way to describe Beth’s character.) The problem is, the Broadway actors are all Jack and Karens and there aren’t any Will or Graces in the troupe to balance them out. 

The kids, on the other hand, are SO earnest. There’s even a Dear Evan Hansen moment were all the kids sings a guitar strummed ballad to each other over social media. It’s a decent song, but if you’ve seen Hanson or Be More Chill or Heathers or Carrie or Legally Blonde or Mean Girls or ________ you’ve seen it before. 

Also like Lucky Guy, I laughed my ass off tonight. It’s so floptastic and reminds you of so many other shows (It Shoulda Been You, Grease, Footloose) that you can’t help but laugh. I deeply regret only seeing Lucky Guy three times and I will not make that same mistake with The Prom. I will see this easily and gladly several times before it moves off this mortal coil and I suggest you do the same. 

[uncageg]

Saturday can't get here fast enough! It is one show I have had high on my list to see.

[n2nbaby]

I cannot believe I’m contemplating going to see this tomorrow night.

[BroadwayConcierge]

I'm now officially excited to see this next week.

[WhizzerMarvin]

n2nbaby, go! Don’t you dare pay more than $40, but go!

[Bwayfan292]

Great review Whizzer! A couple questions, in terms of Tony’s what do you think would be nominated? And do you see this lasting a while?

[uncageg]

n2nbaby said: "I cannot believe I’m contemplating going to see this tomorrow night."

In the past year I have seen some interesting shows by giving in to contemplation. "JAMES & JAMESY" comes to mind but glad I saw it. If you are contemplating, I suggest you go. I found a lot of times that when I didn't, I was sorry I didn't. JMO

 

[WhizzerMarvin]

Bwayfan292,

I don’t see this lasting very long. My guess would be a closing after the holidays? It’s so hard to guess nowadays though when crazy producers run flops like Amazing Grace, In Transit and Head Over Heels for months on end at a loss. Anything can happen, but I’d be surprised if it ran.

Unlike true teen shows like Legally Blone, Evan Hansen and Be More Chill that first and foremost appeal to teens, this is a pseudo teen show that first and foremost will appeal to gay men who like campy shows.

As for nominations- I mean it’s REALLY early, ha. If Girl From the North Country and Jagged Little Pill come in, combined with Be More Chill, a possible Moulin Rouge, Tootsie, Beetlejuice, Cher Show (for acting noms) this will be tough to squeeze out nominations. It could easily get a score nom just because so much this season does not have an original score, and if Beth can get nominated for Baby, It’s You, she can eke out a nom for anything!

[seanmcdonagh121]

To add to my thoughts earlier;
This show is really special and the meaning and hear is so genuine. I haven’t felt this way after a show in a while.
It’s certainly an old fashioned musical (which some occasionally modern music) and while the score isn’t the best I’ve heard it’s definitely still got some fine moments.
Casey did a fantastic job with the choreography but I don’t know if it’s as good as what he did with Mean Girls.
The show is genuinely very funny. It’s smart and clever with some fantastic, heartfelt moments.
If this show doesn’t have a decent run on Broadway it will actually bother me because it’s really that special.
I reckon there will be others who will tear the show apart but I for one (and all the people I overheard on the way out) thought it was great.
Take a chance and buy a ticket to this show.

[Jordan Catalano]

Yeah I, in no way, liked this show as much as I did because it was “so bad it’s great”. It’s not a perfect show and there’s definitely some stuff I’d change if i had any say in it, but the pros so drastically outweigh the cons that to me, it doesn’t even matter.

Will it last? Who knows. But it’s here now.

[amazingamandakate]

Anyone have an understudy list?

[RippedMan]

Does a gay man tap dance? And what's the design like? It looks kind of cheap and "Regional Theater" ish.

[WhizzerMarvin]

There was no dancing at all. There’s one Fosse-themed number called “Zazz” and then most of the Mean Girls numbers are hip hop influenced.

The set is inconsequential. Cheap. There’s not much of it and you won’t notice it’s there. Most of the show takes place in a school gym, a sleezy motel and an Applebee’s.

[HunterK]

For this that have went already...what’s the running time. I’m going tonight!

Thank you!

[dramamama611]

Utterly surprised by all the positive here, it certainly sounded like a clunker to me!

Question: when I went to see HOH, it was largely because of the comments similar to those here: it's not great, but a great deal of fun. I did not have a good time at HOH. I didnt hate it, but the longer the show went on, the less I liked it. Do you think the same will happen with this?

[Keiichi2]

Seeing this on Thursday, December 13th with my girlfriend as part of a theater trip I am taking with her and another friend December 10 to the 15th. (We are also seeing Frozen, Harry Potter Parts 1 and 2, and The Ferryman).  The show sounds like a lot of fun, and I'm happy to see the positive response to last night's performance here.  I doubt this will last long, but it sounds like a show I will be glad I got a chance to see.  Kind of like Bright Star a few years ago, a show that didn't last long, but glad I took a chance on when I saw it.

[MrsSallyAdams]

The "Broadway Diva" premise just doesn't work for me in 2018. From the clips and photos it feels like Liza Minnelli and two Charles Nelson Reilly's are organizing a protest in the 1970's. The fact that it's a lesbian couple at a prom in 2018 seems like it will cause hopeless tonal whiplash.

But then I had the same problem with how "Tootsie's" 80's attitudes on gender politics sat in 2018 setting and critics haven't seemed to mind.

[Playbill_Trash]

WhizzerMarvin said: "There was no dancing at all. There’s one Fosse-themed number called “Zazz” and then most of the Mean Girls numbers are hip hop influenced."

There was no dancing? There was no tap? I’m shocked! Casey Nicholaw didn’t learn his lesson from tuck everlasting or even mean girls where adding a tap number during previews elevated the whole show?

I know it’s literally the first preview and there’s time, I’m just surprised that a show where the slogan is “sometimes you have to step-ball-change the world” doesn’t have tap. WhizzerMarvin, I trust you more than anyone here on these boards. I have tickets for this show over the holidays. I was expecting something closer to something rotten, you’re saying it’s closer to mean girls?

[WhizzerMarvin]

There could have been an interesting play here about do-gooder types who get off more on their moral outrage than on actual solutions and more about fighting for a cause rather than caring about the real individuals affected by an issue. I’m sure these types exist on the right just as much as the ones I see on left in my FB feed- people who seemingly sit around all day, scouring every local news affiliate’s website, looking for a story to share that will surely rile up all their friends and the injustices going in Florida or Kentucky or Nebraska.

There could be a great story to tell of how a bunch of well-intentioned New York liberals, yelling to each other inside their echo chamber, descend on a small Indiana town and are just are judgmental and unwilling to listen as the bigots they have come to save.

Of course they’re ultimately on the side of good, but a much more nuanced approach of listening to the parents, the community, etc and trying to build some genuine understanding would be far more effective, both for the characters AND the audience.

By splitting the focus between this and the boilerplate Mean Girls/Evan Hansen/13 story we get with the high school kids in Indiana. The show is in many ways reminiscent of 13. That also features a New Yorker transplanted to a backwards Indiana town and dealt with the pressure me of high school. 13 featured no adult actors (or characters), but The Prom basically relegates its young actors to B and C plots while the Broadway vets sing about Zazz and loving thy neighbor.

All that said, it’s written with such an over the top campy gay sensibility that it’s hard not to gawk and be entertained by the whole thing. The Prom takes that exchange from Ghostworld (This is so bad it’s good/This is bad it’s gone past good and back to bad again) one step further- it’s is one a perpetual spinner of good/bad, paradoxically being both forever at the same time.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Playbill_Trash said: "WhizzerMarvin said: "There was no dancing at all. There’s one Fosse-themed number called “Zazz” and then most of the Mean Girls numbers are hip hop influenced."

There was no dancing? There was no tap? I’m shocked! Casey Nicholaw didn’t learn his lesson from tuck everlasting or even mean girls where adding a tap number during previews elevated the whole show?

I know it’s literally the first preview and there’s time, I’m just surprised that a show where the slogan is “sometimes you have to step-ball-change the world” doesn’t have tap. WhizzerMarvin, I trust you more than anyone here on these boards. I have tickets for this show over the holidays. I was expecting something closer to something rotten, you’re saying it’s closer to mean girls?"

I forgot to type a very important word there! There is no TAP dancing- which is what RippedMan has asked about. There IS lots of dancing. Just no tap, specifically. The dancing is mostly hip hop inspired, very similar to the kind of thing we saw in Bring it On and the like. 

[juice23]

I have to say that I saw the first preview last night and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was so ridiculous that I couldn't stop smiling and laughing at everything Brooks and Beth said/did. Caitlin has such a nice and clear voice.

Corny, yes... but I was pleasantly surprised. I think it also helps that the last thing I sat through was KING KONG, which I absolutely hated... but I would go back to this for sure.

It also helped that I was sitting three seats down from Gavin Creel <3 <3 <3

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Guess I have a new addition on my list