The Prom Has Pushed Back Its Start Date To October 23, 2018, When It Will Begin Performances At The Cort Theatre In A Production Directed By Casey Nicholaw.
Start Date Pushed to October 23, 2018 at the Cort Theatre
On October 23, 2018, a new musical called The Prom will begin Broadway preview performances at the Cort Theatre, ahead of an opening night scheduled for November 15, 2018, two days later than previously announced This new musical is unusual in today’s Broadway climate, as it is not based on a film, book, or otherwise pre-existing source material. The book of the musical is written by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, with lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and music by Matthew Sklar. Beguelin is also the lyricist of Elf, and wrote the book to Aladdin and The Wedding Singer. Sklar, is also the composer behind Elf and The Wedding Singer.
The musical was conceived by veteran producer Jack Viertel. By far the biggest name attached to the creative team is director and choreographer Casey Nicholaw. Among Nicholaw’s vast achievements, he is also the director and choreographer of Aladdin and Elf. In addition, as director and choreographer, his further Broadway credits include Mean Girls, Tuck Everlasting, The Drowsy Chaperone, and The Book of Mormon, which he co-directed with Trey Parker and Matt Stone. As director, he is also behind All About Me and To Be or Not to Be, and as choreographer, his credits include Spamalot.
An Accomplished Cast And An Amusing Plot
The story of The Prom follows a high school student in Indiana who is prohibited from bringing her girlfriend to the prom, and a group of eccentric Broadway performers who make it their mission to infiltrate the town in an earnest, misguided attempt to fight the injustice. The cast includes Broadway vets Brooks Ashmanskas, Drama Desk Award Winner Beth Leavel, Tony Award Winner Christopher Sieber, Caitlin Kinnunen, Isabelle McCalla, Michael Potts and Angie Schworer.
The Prom had its world premiere from August to September 2016 at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta. Variety said, “Don't be surprised if The Prom gets a Broadway corsage." The show is currently scheduled for an open-ended run. In choosing the open in the fall, the production will have a long while before the awards season can give it a pick-me-up at the box office, so it will need to get by on reviews and charm. In such competitive Broadway marketplace, without the brand recognition of so many of its rivals, The Prom will need to deliver on charm in order to stay afloat.
