The Prom is a musical with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin, based on an original concept by Jack Viertel. The musical follows four Broadway actors lamenting their days of fame, as they travel to the conservative town of Edgewater, Indiana, to help a lesbian student banned from bringing her girlfriend to high school prom.
The musical had a tryout at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2016 and premiered on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre in October 2018.
A film adaptation, produced and directed by Ryan Murphy, was released on Netflix on December 11, 2020.
Background
In 2010, Constance McMillen was a senior at Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Mississippi. She had plans to bring her girlfriend to their senior prom and wear a tuxedo, and in response, was banned from attending by the school board. McMillen challenged the board's decision; in response, the board decided to entirely cancel that year's senior prom. McMillen and the ACLU sued her school district, and a federal court found the Itawamba School District guilty of violating McMillen's First Amendment rights. However, the judge did not force the school district to reinstate the prom.
The board did eventually allow McMillen to attend prom, but the event, held at a local country club, was attended by only seven students. Local parents quietly organized a separate prom for the rest of the students, making sure to keep the location secret to avoid media attention.
Celebrities—such as Green Day, Cat Cora, and Lance Bass—rallied together via social media to show their support for McMillen and agreed to help sponsor a "Second-Chance" prom, where McMillen and her girlfriend could attend without homophobic backlash.
Productions
Atlanta (2016) The show played the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta from August 18 to September 25, 2016. Casey Nicholaw was director and choreographer, with set design by Scott Pask, costumes by Ann Roth and Matthew Pachtman, lighting by Kenneth Posner and sound by Peter Hylenski.
Broadway (2018) The show began previews at the Longacre Theatre on October 23, 2018, with an official opening on November 15, 2018. The production closed on August 11, 2019, having played 23 previews and 309 regular performances. The production cost $13.5 million to stage and did not recoup its investment.
U.S. tour (2021) A national tour of The Prom was expected to begin February 2021 in Providence, Rhode Island. It was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It launched on November 2, 2021, at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio, The tour played over 20 cities concluding in October 2022.
Switzerland (2021) The Le Théâtre Emmen produced a version of the musical in Swiss German which ran from December 11, 2021 until January 16, 2022. The translation by Nico Rabenald (German), Andréas Härry (Swiss German dialogues), Irène Straub and Silvio Wey (Swiss German lyrics) made some notable changes: instead of Edgewater, Indiana, the musical is set in the Lucerne hinterland. Also, the four actors aren't from Broadway, but from the German musical hub Hamburg.
México City (2021-2022) A Latin-American production headed by Marte Calderon and Chema Verdusco as producers was launched on November 6, 2021 played at Centro Cultural Teatro 2; with over 60 regular performances including 2 tour dates on Guadalajara and Monterrey.
On its first season, some changes were made from the original production: instead of Edgewater, Indiana, the musical is set in Salamanca, Guanajuato. Some of the characters' names were changed from the adaptation; instead of Dee Dee Allen is Gigi Flores and instead of Barry Glickman is Benny Torres; Also, the four actors aren't from Broadway, they are notable actors from musicals on Mexico. The original cast members from this season were: Anahi Allué, Gerardo Gonzalez, Mauricio Salas, Marien Caballero Galve, Oscar Carapia, Beto Torres, and Brenda Santabalbina.
For its second season, the production had short running performances who were played on Teatro Centenario Coyoacan, with Anahi Allue and Oscar Carapia reprising their roles from the first season, with Mauricio Salas replacing Gerardo Gonzales's role as Benny, with Roger Gonzalez and Andres Elvira replacing Mauricio Salas's role as Trent.
This season were played from October 29, 2022 until December 17.
U.S. Regional Premiere (2022)
The Professional US Regional Premiere played White Plains Performing Arts Center October 7-23, 2022. The production was Directed by Frank Portanova, Choreographed by Lexie Fenelle Frare & Music Directed by Stephen Ferri.