Five Reasons You Shouldn’t See The Prom Musical on Your Own
I know this blog title sounds like I’m going to talk about something scary in The Prom–it’s quite the opposite! It’s wonderful.
Did you know Netflix is streaming The Prom musical?
It’s available to stream beginning December 11. I’m looking forward to seeing it.
Here are five reasons you shouldn’t see The Prom musical on Your Own:
Reason #1–Movies are meant to be seen with someone, in my opinion. How much fun is it to see a musical all by yourself? You need someone to sing with you!
A Synopsis of The Prom
Emma becomes an instant outcast and a national headline when her high school cancels the prom rather than let her attend with her girlfriend. Sensing a chance to correct an injustice and maybe get some good publicity along the way a group of fading celebrities takes up the cause, and invades Emma’s small Indiana town. But their bumbling attempts at social activism make the situation far worse than they or Emma could have ever imagined. Cultures clash and the town erupts in chaos. The community’s reputation, Emma’s future, and the celebrities’ careers, all hang in the balance, until a true hero emerges to save the day. Uproarious and ultimately uplifting, this musical proves that standing up for yourself and inspiring others to accept their differences can make you the star you were always meant to be.
Emma becomes an instant outcast and a national headline when her high school cancels the prom rather than let her attend with her girlfriend. Sensing a chance to correct an injustice and maybe get some good publicity along the way a group of fading celebrities takes up the cause, and invades Emma’s small Indiana town. But their bumbling attempts at social activism make the situation far worse than they or Emma could have ever imagined. Cultures clash and the town erupts in chaos. The community’s reputation, Emma’s future, and the celebrities’ careers, all hang in the balance, until a true hero emerges to save the day. Uproarious and ultimately uplifting, this musical proves that standing up for yourself and inspiring others to accept their differences can make you the star you were always meant to be.
An All Star Cast
Reason #2–The Cast is exceptional! Having someone to chat with about the direction makes the viewing all the more worthwhile.
Nice, huh?
The movie cast is excellent and includes Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Andrew Renalls, Kevin Chamberlain, Ariana Grande, Keegan Michael-Key, Kerry Washington and a host of other great performers. Newcomer, Emma Pellman will portray the lead role of Emma and Arianna DeBose as Alyssa.
Wow!
The Creative Team
Reason #3–This is an excellent artistic staff at the helm. I mean, Casey Nicholaw? You can’t get someone much better than him. Just check out his biography. You might miss something in the direction if you watch by yourself and a friend might catch it. I understand the humor is spot on.
Casey Nicholaw, Director
Casey Nicholaw (born 1962) is an American theatre director, choreographer and performer. He has been nominated for Tony Awards for directing and choreographing The Drowsy Chaperone (2006), The Book of Mormon (2011), Something Rotten! (2015), and Mean Girls (2018) and for choreographing Monty Python’s Spamalot (2005) and Aladdin (2014), winning for his co-direction of The Book of Mormon. He also was nominated for the Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Direction and Choreography for The Drowsy Chaperone (2006) and Something Rotten! (2015) and for Outstanding Choreography for Spamalot (2005).
Bob Martin, Co-Playwright
Bob Martin began his career acting and directing at The Second City in Toronto in 1996. He won a Tony award for Best Book for a Musical and Best Actor in a Musical category portraying “Man in Chair” in Drowsy Chaperone. In addition, Martin wrote the Urinetown music and lyrics. Among many of ventures, he returned to Broadway by co-writing the book for Elf with Thomas Meehan. He co-wrote Prom the Musical with
Like many artists, Martin’s resume is varied. It includes writing the book for a musical adaptation of the 1973 film The Sting and is currently writing the book for a sequel to The Drowsy Chaperone, a musical adaptation of The Princess Bride, a musical adaptation of A Night at the Museum, and a musical adaptation of Millions.
Chad Beugelin, Lyricist and Co-Playwright
Chad Beguelin (born September 24, 1969) is an American playwright and four-time Tony Award nominee. He wrote the book for Disney’s Aladdin, as well as additional lyrics for the score. He was nominated for Best Original Book and Best Original Score for Aladdin. He is also known for his collaborations with composer Matthew Sklar, having written the lyrics and co-written the book for the Broadway musical The Wedding Singer and the lyrics for the Broadway musical Elf the Musical. Beguelin was nominated for two Tony Awards for his work on The Wedding Singer, as well as a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics. He, too, graduated from New York University’s Tish School of the Arts.
What did the Reviewers Think of it When It Opened on Broadway?
Reason #4–Reviewers love the Broadway version. See if you agree with the reviewers. You can’t exactly discuss the pros and cons of the production with just yourself. When it opened on Broadway, the reviewers extol much praise on the show. That’s a good sign the musical will be well accepted, too.
The Prom was the first musical of the 2018–2019 Broadway season to be named a New York Times Critics Pick, with Jesse Green calling it “such a joyful hoot. With its kinetic dancing, broad mugging and belty anthems, it makes you believe in musical comedy again.”
Frank Rizzo, writing for Variety wrote that “with a tuneful score, a playful book, and performances that remind you what Broadway heart and chutzpah are all about, this cause celebre of a show turns out to be a joyous, funny, and sweet production that should appeal to several generations of musical fans.”
New York Magazine‘s Sara Holdren wrote: “There’s such genuine joy rolling off the stage in The Prom that you’re ready and willing to forgive it its minor misfires… Did I shed several real tears in The Prom’s final scene? Maybe I did… I also seldom stopped laughing. The show is full of witty delights.”[16]
Adam Feldman of Time Out Magazine gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, saying “It is cheering to see a musical comedy that engages with modern questions, with a teenage lesbian romance at its center to boot… But while the issues are contemporary, there is a 1980s feel to the character types and the overall style of Chad Beguelin and Matthew Sklar’s score, which resembles their work in The Wedding Singer; a stronger dose of reality in the lyrics and the book (by Beguelin and Bob Martin) would better justify the show’s eventual turn to sentimental education. But Casey Nicholaw’s peppy direction helps give the show enough momentum to power past its narrative potholes and occasional bumps of heavy-handedness.”
In The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney called the show “one part satire, packed with delicious theatrical in-jokes delivered with aplomb by game stage veterans playing caricatures of themselves; and one part inclusivity teaching moment, reminding us there’s a place for everyone beneath the Mylar balloons at a high school dance, even in conservative Indiana. If the two halves aren’t entirely seamless, especially in the uneven second act, the show has enough humor and heart to paper over the cracks.”
Reason #5 Your Students will LOVE it! You will feel so trendy because you will know the newest scoop in the show. There’s nothing better than making them happy (it does wonders for your ego too.) The Prom is contemporary, fun, quick witted and entertaining.
I have a Broadway musical lesson for The Prom available at The Prom Broadway Musical Lesson
It includes:
- Letter to Teacher
- Warm Up–MY Version of a Popular Physical Warm Up
- Teacher’s Script–What I Say and How I Say it!
- History of Prom and How it Became an Important Event in a Young Person’s Life
- Photos (1950’s & 2018)
- Plot of the Musical
- Separate File of Photos for Teacher’s Use in Lecture
- History about the Origination of the Production
- Information on the Director, Casey Nicholaw
- Information on the composer and choreographer, Matthew Skylar
- Information about the Co-Playwrights, Bob Martin & Chad Beugelin
- Information about the lyricist, Chad Beugelin
- A Shortened Lesson on : What are the Tony Awards?
- List of Tony Awards
- New York City Map with Competing Theatres Labeled
- Student Note Page
- Teacher Note Page Key
- Trivia about The Prom, LGBTQ rights and Recent Data About Prom
- Lyrics from “Just Breathe”–good for class discussions or as a jumping off point
- Extension Activities–Terrific Suggestions of Ways to Secure the Learning and Enrich the Experience
- Sources & Links to Film Clips from the Show
- And More!
If hope you’ll check out The Prom soon. I know I will! What Broadway musical is your favorite? You know I’d love to know more about you. Don’t know much about me? Check out: The Top Reasons to Listen to Podcasts Contact me at DhcBaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net
