Take your date to The Prom at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre

Deen van Meer

In Fulton, Mississippi in 2010, a high school student was denied the chance to attend her high school prom because she wanted to bring her girlfriend. She was banned from attending and when the decision was challenged, the school board cancelled the prom altogether. The ACLU sued for violating her First Amendment rights and the prom was back on, but only seven students attended because the parents quietly organized a separate prom, keeping the location a secret. The situation gained media attention and various celebrities from Green Day to Lance Bass and Cat Cora sponsored a ‘Second Chance’ prom outside of the school’s purview.

In 2016, the story was turned into a musical, and the show opened on Broadway in 2018, scoring six Tony Award nominations including Best Musical. The show had a huge fan base but not enough to keep it afloat, closing after just 309 performances. A film adaptation from Ryan Murphy debuted on Netflix in 2020, and a pandemic-delayed national tour finally launched in November 2021. The show has now set up shop at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre through January 23 before it hits the road again.

The musical’s story follows the basics of the real life incident, but there are really two stories going on here. The show opens in New York on the opening night of ‘Eleanor: The Musical’ (as in Eleanor Roosevelt), and the after party quickly turns into a wake as the reviews are scathing, leaving the two narcissistic leads, Barry Glickman and Dee Dee Allen, to ponder their lives and careers. With the help of their also down on their luck Broadway friends Trent Oliver and Angie Dickinson, they decide to find themselves a cause to become relevant again, and prove to the world they don’t only think of themselves. With global warming, world peace and building homes proving a bit too grand a scale for their needs, Angie stumbles across the story of Emma, a high schooler in Edgewater, Indiana who was banned from prom because she wanted to bring her girlfriend and wear a tuxedo.

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The ‘stars’ sudden arrival in Edgewater only complicates things, bringing too much attention to the matter which results in the prom being cancelled altogether, and making Emma even more of a pariah as she is blamed for the decision. Complicating matters even further is the fact that her girlfriend is the daughter of the head of the PTA. The New Yorkers refuse to give up and eventually the prom is reinstated, but … the second act of The Prom basically follows the real-life events but here it’s the New Yorkers who eventually get the all-inclusive prom off and running, and in between there are a lot of laughs, a lot of emotion, a few tears, and an ultimately joyful finale that makes this one of the most delightful shows to come along in quite some time (regardless of what some of its detractors might think).

Patrick Wetzel (Barry) and Courtney Balan (Dee Dee) are a hoot. Wetzel’s Barry Glickman is as flamboyant as they come, and while he may be over-the-top he really is the heart and soul of the Broadway four. He might be the gayest thing on that stage, but Wetzel’s performance is also full of heart. Balan is a hoot as Dee Dee with a performance that evokes a bit of Meryl Streep (who played the character in the movie), Bette Midler and Nora Dunn. She gives an energetic performance and works hard to keep reminding us that Dee Dee is not as self-centered as she appears … but she is, and the character has a nice turn-around when she’s finally called out for making this mission a chance to get some good PR for herself. Bud Weber is spectacular as Trent Oliver, and he gets a great number calling out the religious hypocrisy on display in Edgewater. Emily Borromeo doesn’t have a much to do as the other three, but she makes the most of her big number in Emma’s bedroom to the song ‘Zazz’, doing Fosse-style choreography on the bed, twirling her legs in the air around Emma’s head. It was fantastic and hilarious.

Ashanti J’Aria is Mrs. Greene, the small-minded head of the PTA. She is the villain of the show, and at one point I really expected the audience to boo her (the character, not the actress), but her villainy isn’t completely malicious as Mrs. Greene just believes she’s doing the right thing to protect her town. J’Aria does give a great performance, but sadly we don’t get any resolution with the character after her daughter finally comes out. Shavey Brown is very funny as Sheldon Saperstein, agent to the stars, and he gave me a lot of Tituss Burgess vibes. Sinclair Mitchell is also terrific as Principal Hawkins, and his relationship with Dee Dee is a lot of fun. You really hope those two crazy kids can make it.

Kalyn West is wonderful as Alyssa Greene. She has a lovely voice and you really feel for her when she realizes what her mother has done with the secret prom and how Emma was purposely misdirected to the school. Making their national tour debut, Kaden Kearney is outstanding as Emma. Kaden has a voice, a powerful voice, they can dance — the ‘Zazz’ number with Angie is very funny — and they can act the house down. You believe every emotion Emma is experiencing, and the relationship that she develops with Barry is very heart-warming, two souls who really share the same experiences and bond deeply. Their performance really helps the audience bond with Emma as well. I see big things in Kaden’s future.

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Aside from the main cast, a musical like The Prom is only as good as its ensemble and I have to tell you that this is one of the hardest working ensembles I’ve seen in a while. I get really disappointed when the dancers just seem like they’re going through the motions, but The Prom‘s ensemble were going full force, no matter what they were called on to do. They really are an energetic group and I appreciate their hard work. And then they brought me to tears during Emma’s ‘Unruly Heart’ number, where she opens up about her life on YouTube, and the ensemble appears as viewers of the video, sharing their own stories with her. Man, that got me in all the feels.

With skillful direction and amazing choreography by Casey Nicholaw (Tony-nominated for the Broadway show), a winning book by Bob Martin & Chad Begulin, and witty and emotional music and lyrics by Matthew Sklar and Ched Begulin — not to mention the scenic and lighting design, the hair and make-up, and the costumes (which almost give the show an 80s vibe) — The Prom is a joyful, emotional and uplifting night at the theatre. And if you enjoyed the show’s choreography, be sure to not jump out of your seat during the curtain call (rude!) as the entire cast performs a massive number after taking their bows. I don’t know how anyone could leave the theatre without a smile on their face. I know I did.

The Prom runs about 2 hours and 25 minutes with one intermission. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

The Prom runs through January 23 at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. Other cities on the schedule include St. Louis, MO; Nashville, TN; Providence, RI; Wallingford, CT; Chicago, IL; Worcester, MA; Seattle, WA; San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles, CA and more. Visit the official The Prom website for more information.