The Prom Returns with Laughs and Plenty of Jazz Hands

Walking into the Ahmanson’s opening night of “The Prom,” we saw many audience members dressed in full prom regalia including long dresses, tuxes and tierras. There were even a few king and queen banners.

Everyone was ready to celebrate the return of the 2018 Broadway musical, and the 2020 film, that is now back at the Ahmanson through September 11.

I didn’t have high hopes for the musical, as I could only manage to get through half of the miscast film. Luckily, this performance brings plenty of camp, laughs and heart to it’s LA run.

If you missed the previous two renditions of “The Prom,” the musical centers around a group of narcissistic actors experiencing a string of professional failures. Broadway leading lady Dee Allen (Courtney Balan), her co-star Barry Glickman (Patrick Wetzel), Juilliard graduate and current waiter Trent Oliver ( Bud Weber), and chorus girl waiting to play Roxie Hart in “Chicago “ Angie Dickinson (Emily Borromeo) band together and vow to recover by championing a worthy high-profile political cause that requires little effort.

They hitch a ride to Edgewater, Indiana to help local teenager Emma (Kaden Kearney) who has been banned from bringing her girlfriend Alyssa (Kalyn West) to the prom. The group descends on a PTA negotiation headed up by homophobic PTA president, realtor and Alyssa’s mother Mrs. Greene (Ashanti J’Aria) and supportive high school principal Mr. Hawkins (Sinclair Mitchell), and does more damage than good, with the entertaining intervention song “It’s Not About Me.” Other standout peppy numbers include “Zazz,” “The Lady’s Improving,” “You Happened,” Barry is Going to Prom,” and “It’s Time to Dance.” There’s also a few pretty love songs, “Dance With You,” “Unruly Heart,” and “We Look to You,” all very well done by Kearney, West, and Mitchell.

Eventually, Emma gains confidence from the Broadway group who try to fix what they wrecked and in the end finance a prom for Emma, Alyssa, the high school students and teens from the local LGBT community where Barry is named prom queen.

I enjoyed the performance much more than the film. I loved the over-the-top performances of Balan and Wetzel and the sweet strong vocals of Kearney and West. It was also nice to see audience members uplifted by the universal love is love message.

Directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Casey Nicholaw, “The Prom” features a book by Tony Award winner Bob Martin and Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin, music by Tony Award nominee Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin with scenic design by Tony Award winner Scott Pask, costume design by Tony Award winner Ann Roth (“The Book of Mormon”) and Matthew Pachtman. “The Prom” plays at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre through September 11, tickets start at $35 and are available at https://www.CenterTheatreGroup.org. Performances run Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.