The Prom Musical Is Everything I Needed as a Young Queer Teen

Last night I had the chance to see The Prom on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre with a lovely friend of mine. I knew nothing about the musical save for the fact that it showcased the lesbian kiss that was in the Macy’s Day Parade last Thanksgiving.

The Prom is about a group of narcissistic Broadway actors who, after facing a huge theatrical bomb and being branded as egotistical narcissists, decide to find a cause to rebrand their image. That cause is Emma. Emma is a teenager from Indiana whose school’s prom has been canceled because she wanted to bring her same-sex partner. The gang of narcissists heads to Indiana to “help” Emma, only end up making things worse, but in the end, they become committed to helping her build a prom for all kids to come to and be themselves.

I cried a lot.

When I look back at the reason why Rent was and remains so important me, despite being problematic and a lot of really good queer discourse has come out about it, is because it was one of the first things I saw with mainstream love that dealt with queer couples and relationships. Before I knew or allowed myself to acknowledge I was bisexual, it gave me some comfort when I saw Rent on stage with my mom for my sixteenth birthday and that we both swooned and cried over Angel/Collins. It was this little piece of proof of validation.

Prom goes beyond that in being very wish-fulfillment-y in a way that is both cheesy but also affirming. In my liberal bubble of NYC, there are times I have to remind myself that there are still many communities that are unwelcome towards LGBTQ people, and it’s especially difficult for young adults. I may be mostly out, but I’m not even out to every member of my family because it’s very hard to risk the unconditional love of a parent. Emma’s story may have an empowering ending, but the narrative makes it very clear that she has been harassed in school for being a lesbian and no longer lives with her parents because they kicked her out.

It didn’t help that the set design for Emma’s bedroom, with her complete Harry Potter collection, Lady Bird poster, and other trappings of nerdy youth made her just feel so real to me. I wanted this for her and I was totally moved by Caitlin Kinnunen’s performance and that of Isabelle McCalla, who played Emma’s girlfriend Alyssa Greene.

You can find stories about same-sex couples being denied the chance to go to events like prom from as recent as 2017 and that doesn’t even highlight all the kids who never even attempt to rock that boat out of fear.

One of my friends told me that some other theater people have poo-poo’d the play because of similarities to Dear Evan Hansen (which I have not seen) and the ripped-from-the-headlines storyline presented in the musical. Was The Prom perfect? No. But it was fun, heartfelt, and most importantly, it gives queer kids, especially young queer women, a happy storyline that focuses on them, their loves, their pain, and their experiences, not just for trauma but for the upliftment of a positive ending to the story.

That is something queer kids need and I’m really happy that The Prom gave us that. I cried watching it, as did my friend, and I loved every moment of it. Here’s how to get tickets if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

Build a prom for everyone.

(image: Screengrab/Broadway)

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