The Prom<\/span><\/i>, an often blissfully goofy new musical of strong moral fiber that opened at Broadway\u2019s Longacre Theatre tonight, makes a wholehearted case for theatre\u2019s capacity to soothe and uplift the spirit. At once a love letter to the form and rallying cry for outsiders young and old, it\u2019s the kind of musical that reminds audiences at every turn why any of us love musicals in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Ostensibly, Leavel\u2019s stage diva is in town to crusade for a teenage<\/a> lesbian<\/a> (Caitlin Kinnunen) who\u2019s been told she\u2019s unwelcome at prom. Really, she\u2019s there to revamp her image after a scathing review in <\/span>The Times<\/span><\/i> and to prove she\u2019s not a narcissist. She and her thespian friends, played with addictive flair by Brooks Ashmanskas, Christopher Sieber, Angie Schworer, and Josh Lamon, discover the girl<\/a>\u2019s plight trending on Twitter and decide she\u2019s the perfect low-touch cause for them to get behind and drum up some good press.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n That only one \u201clesbian<\/a>\/thespian\u201d rhyme ensues on their madcap Midwest sojourn is a testament to the restraint of deft comedic book writer Bob Martin (<\/span>The Drowsy Chaperone<\/span><\/i>) and co-writer and lyricist Chad Beguelin (<\/span>Aladdin<\/span><\/i>). Both reunite here with director-choreographer Casey Nicholaw (<\/span>The Book of Mormon, Mean Girls<\/span><\/i>) and composer Matthew Skylar (<\/span>Elf<\/span><\/i>). The team\u2019s collective musical theatre pedigree demonstrates an affection for ribbing winks combined with airtight attention to form. They know what they\u2019re doing, and it shows.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Especially impressive,<\/span> The Prom<\/span><\/i> is the first new Broadway musical to directly and successfully address the country\u2019s deepening political divisions in the present day. The head of the school\u2019s PTA is a conservative mother (Courtenay Collins) whose own daughter (Isabelle McCalla) has been struggling to come out to her. The musical grounds its story of ignorance and acceptance in characters who feel altogether human regardless of their views, including the often deluded \u201cliberal Democrats from Broadway\u201d who\u2019ve swooped in to save the day and the mom who needs to open her mind before she loses her kid forever.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n To that end, standout numbers seem likely to become anthems among queer or disaffected youth, including \u201cJust Breathe\u201d and \u201cDance With You,\u201d both sung by Kinnunen with the wrenching vulnerability that comes with being young and simply trying to be yourself. The score smartly includes vehicles for the flashy talents of its meta Broadway stars, who put their chops to good use warming heartland hearts. Stay for the hint of Liza in Leavel\u2019s eleven o\u2019clock number alone. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to look around at the theatre and think, <\/span>\u201cWhat are we doing here?\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u2014 together in the dark, ignoring news alerts piling up on our switched-off phones. It\u2019s always the foremost question on my mind when the lights go down. <\/span>The Prom<\/span><\/i>\u2019s answer \u2014 to help us understand that everyone, regardless of who they are, wants to be happy \u2014 is deceptively simple. As we\u2019ve learned the hard way, it\u2019s also all too easy to forget. If you skipped prom the first time around, or simply pretended to enjoy it, trust me \u2014 you deserve another chance.<\/span><\/p>\n Recent theatre features\u2026 Follow Naveen Kumar on Twitter: @Mr_NaveenKumar The post Feel-Good New Musical \u2018The Prom\u2019 Wears a Big Heart on Its Puffy Sleeve \u2013 REVIEW<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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<\/a><\/em>(photos: deen van meer)<\/p>\n