Show guide
The Prom
The Prom follows four self-absorbed Broadway stars who descend on a small Indiana town to champion a teenager barred from bringing her girlfriend to prom.
- Broadway premiere
- 2018
- Music by
- Matthew Sklar
- Genre
- Comedy
- Setting
- 2010s
The Prom: quick answers
What is The Prom about?
- The Prom follows four self-absorbed, out-of-work Broadway stars who descend on a small Indiana town to champion Emma Nolan, a high schooler whose prom was canceled because she wanted to bring her girlfriend.
When did The Prom open on Broadway?
- The Prom opened on Broadway on November 15, 2018, at the Longacre Theatre and closed on August 11, 2019.
What kind of musical is The Prom?
- The Prom is an original musical comedy, not adapted from a film or book, with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin and a book by Beguelin and Bob Martin based on a concept by Jack Viertel. It won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical.
Where and when is The Prom set?
- The Prom is set in the present day, mostly in the small town of Edgewater, Indiana, with an opening in New York's Broadway world.
Is there a The Prom movie?
- Ryan Murphy directed the 2020 Netflix film starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman and Andrew Rannells, with Jo Ellen Pellman as Emma and Ariana DeBose as Alyssa.
The story of The Prom
The Prom opens with a quartet of aging, out-of-work Broadway performers, Dee Dee Allen, Barry Glickman, Trent Oliver, and Angie, looking for a cause that will fix their sagging public image. They land on Emma Nolan, a high school student in Edgewater, Indiana, whose school board canceled the entire prom rather than let her attend with her girlfriend, Alyssa Greene.
As the actors barrel into town with good intentions and terrible instincts, the show becomes a comedy about celebrity self-regard colliding with real small-town prejudice. Underneath the jokes, it argues for acceptance and for actually listening to the person you claim to be helping, letting Emma and Alyssa's relationship carry the emotional center of the story.
The music and the makers
The Prom has music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin, built from an original concept by Jack Viertel. The score mixes bright, old-fashioned show-tune pastiche for the Broadway characters with more contemporary, sincere ballads for Emma, letting the musical styles mirror the culture clash in the plot.
Songs like Changing Lives and Unruly Heart sit alongside broader comic numbers that poke fun at theater-kid vanity, giving the score both satirical bite and genuine warmth. That contrast, glitzy showbiz spoof against a heartfelt coming-out story, is what gives The Prom its particular musical personality.
The Prom on Broadway
The Prom opened on Broadway in 2018 at the Longacre Theatre, with a cast led by Beth Leavel as Dee Dee Allen, Brooks Ashmanskas as Barry Glickman, Christopher Sieber as Trent Oliver, Angie Schworer as Angie, Caitlin Kinnunen as Emma Nolan, and Isabelle McCalla as Alyssa Greene. Leavel was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance, but the award went to Stephanie J. Block for The Cher Show.
The production ran a little under a year before closing in 2019, a modest commercial run despite strong reviews and seven Tony nominations. It later reached a much wider audience through a 2020 Netflix film adaptation directed by Ryan Murphy, which introduced the story to viewers who never saw the stage production.
The Prom: frequently asked questions
Who are the characters in The Prom?
The Prom centers on four Broadway performers, Dee Dee Allen, Barry Glickman, Trent Oliver, and Angie Dickinson, who travel to Edgewater, Indiana, to support Emma Nolan, a student whose prom is canceled because she wants to bring her girlfriend, Alyssa Greene. Other key characters include principal Tom Hawkins and Alyssa's mother, Mrs. Greene, who heads the PTA.
Who was in the original Broadway cast of The Prom?
The 2018 Broadway cast starred Beth Leavel as Dee Dee Allen, Brooks Ashmanskas as Barry Glickman, Christopher Sieber as Trent Oliver, Angie Schworer as Angie Dickinson, Caitlin Kinnunen as Emma Nolan, and Isabelle McCalla as Alyssa Greene.
Is The Prom based on a true story?
Loosely, yes. It was inspired by a real 2010 case in Mississippi, where student Constance McMillen was refused permission to bring her girlfriend to her high school prom and the prom was canceled, drawing international press coverage. The Prom's characters and its plot about Broadway stars are invented.
Did The Prom win the Tony Award for Best Musical?
No. The Prom was nominated for Best Musical at the 2019 Tony Awards but lost to Hadestown, and it went home without any wins from its seven nominations.
When did The Prom open on Broadway?
The Prom opened on Broadway in 2018 at the Longacre Theatre.
Who composed The Prom?
Matthew Sklar wrote the music, with lyrics by Chad Beguelin.
What is The Prom about?
It follows four fading Broadway stars who travel to a small Indiana town to support a teenager banned from bringing her girlfriend to prom.
Can you name today's mystery Broadway show?
Play the Show Guesser