Musical comedy ‘The Prom’ celebrates acceptance, Broadway

Consider this an invitation to dance at your seat.

The Broadway musical comedy “The Prom,” recipient of seven Tony Award nominations, opens an eight-performance run Tuesday at The Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall.

Inspired by the true events of a small-town Indiana lesbian student banned from bringing her girlfriend to her high school prom, the musical features a group of jaded actors on a hilarious yet touching mission to take up the cause.

Jack Viertel, who’s credited for the show’s original concept, read about Constance McMillen, the student denied prom in 2010, and thought, “Wouldn’t it be wild to throw in some crazy actors from New York?” producer Jack Lane recounts.

The result is a wildly funny and incredibly moving journey of learning as the four liberals descend on conservative Edgewater, Indiana, where culture shock ensues, Lane says.

Actor Patrick Wetzel portrays Barry Glickman, a performer who just closed in a Broadway flop, prompting the decision to revitalize his career and befriend Emma, the young girl who wants to go to prom.

“You realize that there are a lot of similarities between Barry and Emma, and you peel back some of the layers of Barry’s character throughout the evening,” Wetzel says. While the audience learns of his past, including his failed relationship with his mother, Barry heals, to his surprise, in the small Indiana town.

Wetzel, who has discovered new theaters during his time on the road, says he is excited to perform at The Smith Center for the first time and to tell an important story filled with heart to a town known for its glitz and glam.

“With such a divided country we live in at the moment, I think it’s important to look at different perspectives,” Wetzel says. “Everyone just wants to be accepted. This girl simply wants to go to her prom, and a much broader issue stops her from being able to do that simple task.”

Everyone should come to the show prepared to laugh, he says, but also with a tissue in their pocket as the musical takes viewers on an unexpected emotional journey.

With music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin, “The Prom” will have audiences dancing their way out of the theater at show’s end, Wetzel says.

“These guys write such a tuneful score,” he says. “They are some of the best score writers known in the Broadway world.”

After a 150-minute show of laughter and warmth, Lane says, he enjoys watching the last 15 minutes, when the audience is singing the music and having beautiful conversations with one another.

“There is something special about the show that makes people want to be honest with each other, whether it’s coming out or whether it’s just trying to be your true self,” Lane says.

He recounts a line in the show where Emma tells her principal, “I just want to go to prom like any other kid and have the right to go to prom.”

Lane hopes audiences can leave the show feeling like they can live their truest lives and let others do the same.

“All people want to do is marry the people they love, live in the body they know they need to live in and just live a true and honest life,” he says. “So, I think prom, more than ever, is as resonant as it has ever been.”

Contact Maria Staubs at mstaubs@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MariaStaubs on Twitter.