×

MTC brings ‘Prom’ to Playhouse

Company needed a big stage for the production

Submitted photo
Standing from left, four New York actors (Nate Beagle, Jackie Collins, Brandy Johanntges and Tyler Hanes) travel to Indiana to support a gay teen (Brooke May) who wants to take her girlfriend to prom as well as generate some free publicity to revive their careers in the musical comedy “The Prom.”

Millennial Theatre Company needed a big stage for “The Prom.”

The musical by Matthew Sklar, Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin has been on MTC’s wish list since its 2018 debut on Broadway, where it was nominated for six Tony Awards, including best musical.

“As soon as we were able to secure the licensing, we snatched that up,” director Joe Asente said. “Our first thought was Hopewell (Theatre), and that’s where we were originally slated to do the show. But as we got into some pre-production work, we realized just how large this show truly was, and we began to realize that it would not fit on the Hopewell theater stage, so we made the move to switch it to the Youngstown Playhouse. And we’re so glad that we did, because this show is a beast, but it is, you know, a more timely message now than ever.”

“The Prom” opens Friday for a two-weekend run at the Playhouse.

That big stage comes with a lot more seats to fill, and while “The Prom” might be well known to those for whom the Tony Awards are appointment television, it certainly doesn’t have the name recognition of, say, “Wicked.” However, both have film adaptations. “The Prom” debuted on Netflix during the pandemic in 2020 with a cast that included Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Andrew Rannells, Kerry Washington, Keegan-Michael Key, Ariana DeBose and Jo Ellen Pellman.

The plot focuses on two Broadway actors, Dee Dee Allen and Barry Glickman, whose latest production opens and closes on the same night following scathing reviews that label them out-of-touch narcissists. When they hear about a gay teen being denied the right to take her girlfriend to the prom in a conservative Indiana town, they team up with two other struggling performers to travel to Indiana to show support for the girl … and maybe generate some good publicity for themselves in the process.

Asente said its message of inclusivity and tolerance is an important one, especially at a time when legislation is being passed around the country to restrict the rights of those in the LGBTQ+ community. But he also stressed that “The Prom” is a musical comedy — with an emphasis on comedy — not a lecture.

“A lot of the shows that deal with this topic become a little bit preachy, and they can get condescending to the group that you’re trying to reach out to and invite to become the more tolerant group,” he said. “But I think that ‘The Prom’ spoofs the ridiculousness sometimes of what people on the left might try to put forth as activism in trying to win over the other side and create a more tolerant world. And it also shows the ridiculousness of some of the talking points of the right when it comes to these ideals as well.

“I think it’s a good show to allow people to see where both sides are coming from, but then ultimately land in a place of tolerance and acceptance, because that’s truly the only acceptable side in that equation. It’s not too heavy handed in its message of activism. I think it’s one that truly looks at things from a more grounded and natural perspective of the middle, where I think most people truly are. And I think it allows us to really find that commonality between all of us, regardless of our political ideology. And I think, in a world as divided as we are right now, I think that’s really important.”

MTC often draws from a core pool of talent for its productions, and many of them fall into the millennial age range. “The Prom” required both a younger and older cast, younger performers to play Emma (the teen denied the right to bring her date to the prom) and her classmates and those who could play the Broadway veterans, parents and school administrators.

Asente found his Emma, played by Brooke May, when he went to see the Playhouse’s production of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” in August at Powers Auditorium. May, a student at Youngstown State University, played King.

“I got to intermission, turned to my friends and I said, ‘That’s Emma.’ I messaged her on Instagram, and we were set from there. She has been fantastic to work with and brings such a level of talent and professionalism to her role, which is really quite a complex one to play. Then we have Brandy (Johanntges), who is the queen of comedy. Her Dee Dee Allen is just hilarious. And Ty Hanes (playing Glickman), anything he touches is gold. The three of them as the lead core trio are truly unstoppable.

“And we were fortunate to have a wonderful turnout at auditions as well … It’s a very fun experience getting to work with so many new faces. I feel like a lot of the time, some folks have some apprehension about auditioning for our shows because we have a very strong core inner group of folks who come out show after show and tend to get cast repeatedly. But I always, unless it’s stated on the press release that a role is precast, it’s available. People really took me at my word for that and came out. And we’ve got a really great, strong group of both old and new faces alike.”

The rest of the cast includes Brianna Rae Quinn, Jackie Collins, Nate Beagle, Colleen Chance, Ben Doss, Sam Early, Edward Bazzell, Ashley Smith, Aubrey Vernon, John Cox, Ashley Graczyk, Michelle Jalbert, Sammie Gurd, Marissa Scott, John Weber, Alexandra Pappalardo, Paula Stephenson, Emma James, Megan Delaney, Danny Stephenson, Romerio Dawkins, Alyssa Moore, Darcie Lukiart and Andy Scott.

The music director is Ryan Lamb, and the choreographer is Danielle Mentzer.

Starting at $2.99/week.

Subscribe Today