Everyone is welcome at Stars Theatre’s ‘Prom’
For director Bertin Rodriguez, “The Prom” resonated with his experiences with youth theater.
Opening at Stars this weekend, the show is based on the real-life story of a Mississippi high school senior whose challenged effort to bring her girlfriend to her prom sparked a federal lawsuit and changed a community.
“This musical touches me in so many ways because my wife (Sharida Rejon-Rodriguez) and I run Spotlight Academy of the Arts and we get so many kids that come through our program that are part of the LGBTQ community,” he wrote in an email. “The stories that we hear sometimes on how a child is treated by their friends, family, and even random strangers are awful. Everyone deserves to be treated equally regardless of who they are.”
Rodriguez said he saw the show as an opportunity to send “a beautiful message of love and acceptance,” to shed light on issues that people in the LGBTQ community still face, and to represent and celebrate communities that are often underrepresented on stage.
In the musical, which inspired a Netflix film in 2020, Oliver Love plays Emma, an Indiana teenager whose prom has been canceled because she wanted to bring her girlfriend, Alyssa (Callie Stein-Wayne), as her date.
Backed by the school principal Mr. Hawkins (Troy Fidis), Emma takes her concerns to the PTA, led by Mrs. Greene (Amanda LockeO’Hearn), a homophobic woman who doesn’t realize her daughter, Alyssa, is gay.
Complicating matters are four Broadway stars — Dee Dee (Elizabeth Heckathorn), Barry (Josh Hefner), Trent (Angel Jessie Martinez) and Angie (Danielle Chase) — who are out to help both Emma and themselves through some free publicity.
“This show and our cast is using humor to shine a light on a very hot-button topic in today’s world,” Rodriguez said. “Even with all the humor, the show gets very serious at certain parts to really show how a high school student can be struggling in a community with little to no allies.”
Along with the humor of numbers like “The Lady’s Improving,” when Dee Dee tells Principal Hawkins she will focus less on herself, and “Love Thy Neighbor,” about the “golden rule” we should all live by, the show also offers moving numbers like “Unruly Heart,” a beautiful ballad that Rodriguez said is sure to tug at your heartstrings.
The director said he
hopes audiences embrace the message of acceptance and celebrate the beauty of inclusivity and diversity.
“The world is constantly evolving, and it would be a very boring place if everybody was the same.”