For ‘The Prom,’ it’s Boston to Broadway and back
“The Prom,” says SpeakEasy Stage Company producing artistic director Paul Daigneault, “is funny and clever, with some great dance numbers. The cherry on top is that the show takes on social issues.”
“The Prom,” at the Calderwood Pavilion Friday through June 10, follows a quartet of down-on-their-luck Broadway performers who decide that taking on a cause will help rehabilitate their tattered reputations. They find what they’re looking for in a small Indiana town that’s made the news when prom is canceled after a student announces she is bringing her girlfriend as her date. The thespians — played by Mary Callanan as a Broadway diva named Dee Dee, Johnny Kuntz as her flamboyant costar Barry, Jared Troilo as pompous waiter-actor-Juilliard grad Trent, and Lisa Yuen as perennial chorus girl Angie Dickinson — sweep into town, showtunes and sequins at the ready, with hilarious results.
For Callanan, “The Prom” marks a return to her hometown after years on Broadway (“Mamma Mia!,” “Bandstand,” “Annie”) and in national tours of Broadway shows (“My Fair Lady,” “The Bridges of Madison County,” and “The Sound of Music,” among others).
Callanan says that when she got off the road last August she feared she’d never work again, but almost immediately was cast in “Kinky Boots” at the North Shore Music Theatre, and then as Dee Dee in “The Prom.”
She cut her teeth in Boston musical theater and on cabaret stages. Callanan was also a regular in SpeakEasy shows, though not since “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” in 2012.
“It’s great to no longer be living out of a suitcase, and be a wife again, and it’s been a great opportunity to refill my gas tank,” she says. “But it’s been a long time since I’ve been this close to the front of the bus.”
“I love Dee Dee,” she says, “but I’m trying to live up to the woman in the script. In the first act she insists on the spotlight, and she’s not exactly heroic, but in the second act, well, who doesn’t love a good redemption story?”
While Callanan builds her character — and her dance moves — in rehearsal, Daigneault says she’s exactly right for the role.
“Mary has a big, Broadway belter voice,” he says. “She has great timing, and she knows not to lean into the stereotype, but to focus on what’s at stake for these characters, and then let the comic bits come naturally.”
Callanan says she’s awed by the energy and flexibility of her young costars, who include Boston Conservatory at Berklee undergrads Liesie Kelly as Emma and Abriel Coleman (who was a standout in Greater Boston Stage Company’s “Little Women”) as Emma’s hoped-for prom date, along with an eight-member ensemble.
The show, says Daigneault, who is directing, includes lots of inside theater jokes and gently mocks musical theater clichés, but the creative team of Chad Beguelin (book and lyrics), Matthew Sklar (music), and Bob Martin (book) land it just outside of expectations. While the narcissistic Broadway pals cause mayhem in the first act, Emma, the high schooler, determines she can’t let others — even those with the best intentions — make decisions for her. When she takes matters into her own hands, she opens herself and others up to new possibilities.
“One of my greatest joys as a producer is seeing young people in the audience celebrate and feel seen,” says Daigneault. “It was so positive when we produced ‘Fun Home’ [in 2019], and I’m looking forward to the response to ‘The Prom.’ “
Reagle sets its summer season
“Oklahoma!” and “The Little Mermaid” will be the featured musicals this summer at Reagle Music Theatre in Waltham. Artistic director Rachel Bertone will direct and choreograph “Oklahoma!,” which runs June 23-July 2, followed by “The Little Mermaid,” directed and choreographed by Taavon Gamble, July 28-Aug. 6. Jared Troilo will appear as Curly in “Oklahoma!” while Davron Monroe will play Sebastian the Crab in “The Little Mermaid.” Kayla Shimizu, seen most recently in the Lyric Stage’s “Preludes,” will play Laurey in “Oklahoma!” and Ariel in “The Little Mermaid.” Tickets are $25-$68, and available at reaglemusictheatre.org/tickets or by calling 781-891-5600.
Concert series aims to ‘uplift’
Boston theater favorite Yewande Odetoyinbo joins newcomer Lillian Salazar for “Uplift!,” a new concert series produced by Reagle Music Theatre designed to showcase underrepresented artists in the community. The series pairs an experienced performer with an up-and-coming artist. Odetoyinbo and Salazar will perform the inaugural show May 20 at Boston’s Club Café ($25-$35). The opportunity to participate in the program is open to all members of the community. For more information, go to www.reaglemusictheatre.org.
Boston Theater Marathon returns
The Boston Theater Marathon returns Sunday for its 25th annual presentation of 50 new 10-minute plays, written by New England playwrights and staged by New England theater companies. This year audiences can watch in person at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, 949 Commonwealth Ave., or by streaming. The plays will be presented in five blocks of 10 plays each, (each block $30 advance/$35 day of event), with a 20-minute break between blocks. The marathon starts at noon and runs until 10 p.m. Livestream tickets are $15. For more information, go to www.bu.edu/bpt.