Character guide
Trent Oliver
from The Prom
Trent Oliver is a pompous Juilliard-trained actor in The Prom, Matthew Sklar's 2018 musical, best known for a forgettable TV career.
- Show
- The Prom
- Broadway premiere
- 2018
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Matthew Sklar
Trent Oliver on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 2020 Netflix film
Andrew Rannells played Trent Oliver in Ryan Murphy's 2020 Netflix film; Christopher Sieber originated him on Broadway in 2018. Trent's big comic number, The Acceptance Song, is shaved down on screen to mostly its opening chorus, staged at a monster truck rally, which trims his presence in the film.
On stage, both of Trent's showcase numbers, The Acceptance Song and Love Thy Neighbor, feature a Godspell cast alongside him, and Love Thy Neighbor is sung with the students of Edgewater's high school.
Who is Trent Oliver?
Trent is part of the quartet of self-involved Broadway performers who take up Emma Nolan's cause, distinguished by his relentless references to his Juilliard training and his tendency to lecture anyone within earshot. He is equal parts insufferable and endearing, using his theatrical showmanship to needle the small-town teenagers who mock Emma into confronting their own hypocrisy.
Despite his self-importance, Trent turns out to have a genuine moral compass, and his interactions with the high schoolers provide some of the show's sharpest satire of both celebrity culture and teenage cruelty.
Trent's role in The Prom
Trent is a supporting role centered on the comic showstopper Love Thy Neighbor, in which he uses the Bible to school a group of judgmental teens, a number that demands sharp comic timing and confident belting. The role rewards a performer who can commit fully to Trent's theatrical self-regard while still landing genuine laughs.
Christopher Sieber originated the role on Broadway, earning praise for turning a potentially one-note egotist into one of the show's funniest and most quotable characters.
Trent Oliver: frequently asked questions
What show is Trent Oliver from?
Trent Oliver is a supporting character in The Prom, which opened on Broadway in 2018.
Is Trent Oliver a lead or supporting role?
Trent Oliver is a supporting role.
Who wrote the music for The Prom?
Matthew Sklar composed the music, with lyrics by Chad Beguelin.
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