The Prom
At Sharon Playhouse
By: Karen Isaacs - Aug 08, 2024
The Prom is getting a spectacular production at Sharon Playhouse, through Sunday, Aug. 11.
When you see two productions of the same show in close proximity, it is almost impossible not to compare the two. I just saw The Prom at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford; it had many fine performances.
But this production captured the essence of the show more effectively.
I’ve enjoyed this show since I first saw it on Broadway. It manages to combine all the trauma of being a teenager with a somewhat satiric look at celebrities and Broadway.
After being criticized for narcissistic behavior, two Broadway stars and some friends decided to redeem themselves by adopting a cause to prove that they are caring individuals. By happenstance, they learn about a teenage girl in Edgewater, Indiana, who has been prohibited from going to her senior prom because she wants to bring her girlfriend as her date.
The Broadway contingent heads west to raise a commotion. Of course, they have neglected to find out if the girl really wants their help. Arriving in Edgewater, they are shocked to learn that no one, except the high school principal, knows who they are, a definite blow to their egos.
Kate Baldwin, who has multiple Tony award nominations, sets the theater on fire as Dee Dee Allen; the actress who has just had an enormous flop. She plays the self-absorbed diva to a tee, using every bit of charm to flirt with the principal. Like a true diva, you always know where she is on the stage.
John Scherer plays her co-star, Barry Glickman, with more subtlety than the role usually gets. Barry is gay, but Scherer doesn’t overplay the flamboyant aspects of the character. He also doesn’t overplay the sadness. He strikes an effective balance.
Both he and Baldwin put over the songs – from the opening number, “Changing Lives,” to the satiric, “It’s Not About Me,” to Barry’s “Barry Is Going to Prom” and Dee Dee’s “The Lady’s Improving.
Hannah Jane Moore and Sophie Nasiri Morvillo are making debuts as the two teens caught up in the controversy. Moore gives a heartbreaking performance as Emma – the out teenager who was kicked out by her parents and bullied in school but maintains a quiet dignity and determination. Morvillo plays her girlfriend, Alyssa. who is afraid of her dominating and perfection-requiring mother, the leader of the PTO, which opposes an inclusive prom.
Moore just graduated from the Hartt School at the University of Hartford. and Morvillo is a senior at Northwestern University.
Moore’s rendition of “Just Breathe,” and “Dance with You” are touching and heartfelt. Listening to Morvillo sing about the pressures of being “Alyssa Greene,” will make you realize why so many teenagers are depressed or try to commit suicide.
Director Carl Andress effectively integrates a teen ensemble into the production, comprised of talented and experienced young people. The fact that some of them have braces adds to the sense of reality. It also makes the high school seem populated by more than just a few students.
The scenic design by Christopher and Justin Swader is excellent. The show opens with an authentic-looking opening-night red carpet and then smoothly moves to various settings in Indiana. Costume designed Kathleen Deagnelis captured both the Broadway and the high school looks, though I might quibble about the prom dresses. Both the lighting designer (Jamie Roderick) and sound designer (Graham Stone) do very good work.
Plaudits should also go to music director Eric Thomas Johnson and the nine-piece ensemble and choreographer Krystyna Resavy.
The Prom is not a great musical, but it is an entertaining show that goes way above what is sometimes created.
Tickets are available at SharonPlayhouse.org