PROVOKR PICK: THE PROM

BY: Amanda Jane Stern

In Ryan Murphy’s upcoming adaptation of the smash-Broadway hit The Prom, two New York City thespians suffering from a recent theatrical flop, descend on a small Indiana town to boost their public image by helping a young lesbian who has been barred from attending her high school prom with her girlfriend. Meryl Streep and James Corden star as the two not-so-altruistic NYC stage actors, Dee Dee Allen and Barry Glickman. Joining them on their trip to Indiana are fellow embittered performers Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman) and Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells). The teenage couple at the heart of this musical is Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman) and Alyssa Greene (Ariana DeBose), whose mother, Mrs. Greene (Kerry Washington), is fervently against their relationship. While the school principal, Tom Hawkins (Keegan-Michael Key), is on Emma and Alyssa’s side, Mrs. Greene, who is also the head of the PTA, proves a fearsome adversary. When Dee Dee, Barry, Angie, and Trent’s plan to revamp their images by helping Emma and Alyssa backfires, they realize they must come together to help the young couple and not focus on themselves.

The movie version of The Prom is a pretty direct adaptation of the Broadway musical, and uses the same score as the play. The Prom premiered on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre in October, 2018. Matthew Sklar wrote the music for The Prom, while Chad Beguelin contributed the lyrics, as well as co-wrote the book with Bob Martin. It was based on an original concept by Jack Viert, who was inspired by the story of Mississippi teen Constance McMillen, who was banned from attending her 2010 prom. The musical went on to be nominated for seven Tony Awards including Best Musical. 

The Prom had a limited theatrical release on December 4th, 2020 in advance of its upcoming wide release on the streaming site Netflix. It has already garnered a bit of controversy, but not for the reasons you might be thinking. Corden, a heterosexual man, has been singled out for his performance as the openly-gay Barry Glickman. Many critics and viewers felt that instead of accurately, and respectfully portraying the character, he is instead portraying a swishing caricature of a gay man.

Watch The Prom on Netflix. It streams starting on December 11th, 2020.