Prom is a rite of passage for teenagers — it’s a night to dance with that special someone. In the musical “The Prom,” which debuted on Broadway in 2018, a parent-teacher group tries to strip away that opportunity from a teenager in Indiana. But not before a group of Broadway divas makes it their mission to get that girl to prom, even if they do not start with the right intentions.
The Lafayette Arts Hub is staging the show, beginning this weekend, which shows lessons of love, listening and standing up for others. Directed by Lexie Lazear, the production is on stage at the Arts Hub, 420 Courtney Way, Lafayette, for two weekends.
In the musical, after Broadway stars Dee Dee Allen’s and Barry Glickman’s show gets scathing reviews and closes after just one night, the two decide to take up a cause to improve their image. The pair hears the story of Emma Nolan, a lesbian teenager living in a conservative Indiana town, whose prom has been canceled because she’s been banned from bringing her girlfriend to the dance. Allen and Glickman swoop in to fight against the school’s Parent Teacher Association on Nolan’s behalf.
Director Lazear said rather than amplifying voices, this musical explores the concept of speaking up for people.
“We see both sides of how easy it is, when you are passionate about something, to talk past the people you are talking to and not really talk to the people you’re trying to convince,” Lazear said.
Lazear said if there is a small chance you can change someone’s mind, they may not react well to discord and yelling. She said that sometimes humans can become so passionate about a cause, it can be easy to forget to try being civil.
“So long as we shout at each other, there’s less likelihood we hear,” Lazear said.
The Ryan Murphy-directed film adaptation of the musical, starring Meryl Streep and James Corden, came to Netflix in 2020.
When the show gets rolling, the self-righteous Broadway stars start spouting about the Indiana parents, calling them “cow-tipping idiots.” While Nolan deserves defending, “The Prom” aims to have the characters seek out the best way to defend others while standing up for what is right.
“It forces us to look at how we say what needs to be said,” Lazear said.
Despite “The Prom” premiering on stage in Atlanta in 2016, nearly 10 years later Lazear said LGBTQ+ youth are still experiencing a lot of the same discrimination and exclusion.
Lazear said she views the musical as a forum to get people to stop and think — even if it comes across as fun, campy or silly. That form of theater can often help open minds more than a dramatic, dark think-piece.
“It cracks people open and makes them so much more willing to hear a message,” Lazear said. “Had you couched it in drama, maybe they would have been like, ‘hmm, that’s not for me, that’s not what I believe in.’”
Tyra Toepfer describes her role as Mrs. Greene as the stereotypical, uptight PTA mom who tries to cancel prom to avoid Nolan taking her girlfriend to the dance. Despite playing the antagonist role, Toepfer describes the show as heart-warming.
“It’s just a great feel-good show with a great message,” Toepfer said.
She described “The Prom” as real and grounded. It follows a girl who wants to go to prom as herself, Toepfer said many people can identify with that.
Cooper Rae, who plays Allen, said the musical shines a light on how important it is to uplift LGBTQ+ stories in a positive light while displaying the importance of how humans want to love and be loved.
Rae describes Allen as a Broadway diva who starts the show being self-centered, with only selfish intentions of helping to boost her image. Through the saga, Allen blossoms into a better person.
“(‘The Prom’) points out the hardship that a younger person is dealing with wanting to be themselves and being with who they love,” Rae said. “But it also shows that people can grow and can come to understand that it’s important to stand up for everybody.”
The reason Nolan finally feels safe to be herself and to attend the prom is not because of the Broadway stars who swooped in to try and save Nolan, but rather, because the Broadway divas and PTA were able to connect and communicate on a human level.
Toepfer, who has acted in various Arts Hub productions, said the Lafayette theater group has always been very inclusive and welcoming to all, a testament to the shows it puts on stage.
Tickets to “The Prom” are available at artshub.org and range from $15-34. Shows are at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Oct. 19, 2:30 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 20, and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18.