Review: My Ramblings On the Musical The Prom

Are you wondering about the Broadway tour of the musical The Prom? I am ready to provide you my review in these ramblings of our musical bestie night!

But first I have to say…..Oh what a glorious day! I was finally able to get back to the theater and enjoy my favorite past time, musical theater!

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We’re Back!!

In all of the excitement about the return to the theater, we got all decked out! I found one of my nicest, warm dresses that I have been dying to have an excuse to wear. I even put on some jewelry for the occasion just to feel fancy.

What a rush entering the building and seeing the red carpets again. We went around front to take in the beauty of theater district from the main road that hosts the majority of the theaters of the Playhouse Square. Seeing the glimmering chandelier on that road gave me all the feels and let me know I was home!

We made sure to get to the theater district early in hopes to grab a bite before the show. Most places within walking distance had too long a wait so we stopped at Bin216 and ordered a few appetizers off their limited menu. We have had food there before that was very good. Unfortunately, this time it came to the table luke warm and quite disappointing overall. No worries though, the drinks were fantastic!

With no further adieu, it is time for my ramblings of the musical The Prom.

The Story

This is a story about a couple of prima donna theater stars that realize their narcissism has caused them to lose the love and adoration of their fans and peers. In an effort to get back some good will, they make a plan to find a cause that will make them look good.

Enter the Indiana girl that wants to take her girlfriend to Prom. Of course, the idea of a homosexual couple attending prom doesn’t sit well with the community so they cancel Prom altogether. The glory hounds decide this is their cause and head to small town America to “help”.

Throughout the rest of the show we watch as the celebrities clash with middle class America and grow as humans, which is quite entertaining.

Bringing levity to the show is the story and struggle of the teen that’s community has turned on her and how she overcomes the reality of her circumstances in her reluctance to become the voice of the issue. Watching the two worlds intermingle is the best part of the show.

Performances

Now that we have discussed the premise, let’s dish on the performances. The highlight in terms of vocals was DeeDee. She had that perfect theater voice, it sounded amazing, projected well and had just the perfect amount of vibrato to it. She played the role perfectly vocally and physically.

The role of Barry Glickman was played brilliantly. He was fun to watch. I only wished I could hear him better when he was singing. It seemed like the band often overpowered him causing something to be lost.

The lead of Emma was also well played. She had a very powerful voice that sometimes felt forced and sounded a little bright but overall she did a really good job. Although the character is crucial to the whole story, I find her to be just kind of…bleh. But I felt the same way about the character in the movie.

Songs

The messages in the show are exaggerated but relevant and true. Sing liken Love thy Neighbor serve as some lessons but aren’t too preachy.

The songs aren’t necessarily going to stick with you but they are entertaining. I think my favorite was the song the principal sings. The lyrics hit me right away and could not have been more relevant regarding how the theater is an escape from the everyday, the mundane. In this moment, I felt my truth was understood. Honestly, it was not the best song in the show nor the best number but it hit me and the sentiment stuck. the tango song was the best. She owned it.

Setting

The set was appropriately minimal. There was never a question as to where they were but it was not a crazy big set design and it did change throughout the show.

As we walked in there were a few areas to take a picture. We liked the Prom background and took our pic. there was also another spot but it wasn’t as fun to us.

Final Thoughts

Warning: this musical is really campy and cheesy. But that is actually part of what make this show work. It is over the top and cheesy in parts, all while addressing a sad reality across America. It that sense it is quite brilliant.

I have to say, the stage musical of the Prom tranlates much better on stage than in the movie. Now mind you, I liked the movie but there was a lot that seemed really cheesy. However, on stage, it just works much better. The overactive, the campiness just got better there.

I hope you enjoyed my ramblings on the musical The Prom. If it helped you decide to check it out for yourself grab some tickets and come back and let me know your thoughts.

I’m no professional, I’m just a middle-aged mom that loves to get lost in musicals and talk about them. I hope you get a chance to get out there and see one!

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