The Sharon Playhouse held its opening night of “The Prom” on Friday, July 26. This is the second mainstage production of the season, following “Rock of Ages”.
“The Prom” follows a group of narcissistic Broadway actors trying to get good press by aggressively shoving themselves into the lives of a small community in Indiana, most specifically the life of a young lesbian girl named Emma who has thrown her school into chaos by asking another girl to prom.
“The Prom” is primarily a comedy but brushes against occasional serious and heartbreaking topics such as high school bullying, rocky relationships with parents and most especially the struggles of LGBTQ youth.
While “The Prom” is high energy and the characters of the Broadway actors most especially are always over the top and exaggerated, it is not flippant about these issues. The writing and actors strike a favorable balance of gut-busting humor while still maintaining a mostly believable plot.
The show makes consistent use of strong language that may make some shy away, but it is often used for some of the funniest lines in the show. Perhaps the best way to sing the production’s praises is simply through the audience. Throughout the night, the audience was cheering, laughing, gasping and saying “aw” every few lines, not just after every song. The cast and crew bring a lot to love, and the audience received it palpably.
The crew of the production have much to be proud of. The music was performed live by a crew of ten local musicians, there were no significant tech issues and the lighting of the show was nearly perfect. The crew should be more than satisfied with an experience that never took the audience out of the moment.
The main quartet of Broadway actors, played by Kate Baldwin (Dee Dee Allen), John Sherer (Barry Glickman), Danny Drewes (Trent Oliver) and Savannah Stevenson (Angie) carried the absolutely giddy and off the wall energy of the show. Joined by their PR Manager played by Ryan J. Palmer (Sheldon Saperstein), these five are responsible for the vast majority of comedic heights that this show has to offer. Meanwhile, characters from the small town school, played by Hannah Jane Moore (Emma Nolan), Sophie Nassiri Morvillo (Alyssa Greene), Erick Pinnick (Tom Hawkins) and Tracy Liz Miller (Mrs. Greene) kept a more grounded performance that played off of and balanced the show’s more eccentric cast mates. Finally, the ensemble of this production not only were responsible for the most difficult choreography, but always brought a believable and fun cohesion to every scene they were in.
Musically, “The Prom” relies heavily on modern stylings. There are not a broad amount of ensemble or chorus numbers outside of the finales of both acts, and when they do appear there is a lot of unison singing. What harmony is there, however, is very tight and after coming out of unison really makes a statement with full sound. “Just Breathe”, “It’s Not About Me”, “Barry is Going to Prom” and “Unruly Heart” are standouts, though the most impressive song is the finale of act one, “Tonight Belongs to You”. Moving from chorus, to nervous solo, excited duet, depressed refrain and back to chorus with a vastly different viewing lens, this song left the most lasting impression that will be difficult to forget. The band was perfect, and every singer in the show is a distinctly impressive voice in their own right. It would be remiss not to give particular credit to Kate Baldwin, Danny Drewes and Hannah Jane Moore. The sound quality in the voice of these singers was crystal clear and demanded the audience’s attention with every note.
Ultimately, “The Prom” asks you to laugh and the cast and crew of Sharon Playhouse have made it easy to sit back and acquiesce. You can find out more and purchase tickets at sharonplayhouse.org.
