"A good idea for a musical gone terribly wrong...The fatal flaw with 'The Prom' regards its tone. 'The Prom' has been facetiously crafted as a cartoon type of ha-ha musical...That’s all very well until its silliness hits an iceberg in the serious issue of homophobia and LGBTQ discrimination. There is a jarring dislocation...Such a bright approach in style does not befit the darker story about the ruthless exploitation of a woeful situation...Watching it unfold so blithely troubles me."
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"The satirical possibilities are numerous, but since this is a musical comedy directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, we trust that they will be handled with minimal cynicism and an emphasis on exuberant showmanship. And they are...'The Prom' may not change your life, but the possibility of progress it celebrates, and the buoyant respite it offers from naysaying and gloom, are not unsubstantial things these days.
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"There’s a lot to like about the new Broadway musical 'The Prom,' including its lively songs, game cast and big heart. But the show at the Longacre Theatre also has a nagging split personality...It’s broad and silly and tough to sustain over two and a quarter hours...The songs provide a refreshing lift...In the end, the show, like a mullet prom dress, wants it both ways. It pleads for acceptance of individuality while it traffics in extreme stereotypes."
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"While the ongoing zany homage succeeds in keeping us entertained, the real achievement is that by the end of the night I truly cared what was to become of the characters...This achievement is due in no small part to Kinnunen, who gives a performance of such consistent, anchored emotional sincerity and authentic musicality that she succeeds in keeping the entire show from slipping away into silliness....Nicholaw is nothing if not a master showman."
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“‘The Prom’ is giving Broadway something it's been lacking for years, which is a high-spirited, old-fashioned musical comedy, where the cast's energy spills out over the footlights, and is then reflected in all the smiling faces you encounter as you leave the theater. It's the equivalent of a standing ovation that moves out into the streets.”
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“A tuneful original score, a book about characters across the age spectrum who deliver a positive message along with the laughs, and lots of eye-catching visuals and peppy dance numbers...Two and a half hours of enjoyable musical entertainment...Nicholaw's fast-paced direction and generous serving of lively dance routines...overcomes the occasional stumbles into over-sentimental and somewhat ham-fisted humor. The entire cast is terrific.”
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"A very wacky-world. This zany, cleverly written musical addresses social issues with great emotional ups and downs while you laugh your socks off...Lessons are learned all around by everyone as thoughts, feelings and preconceived ideas about rules, right or wrong, religion and the Bible, begin to change...There’s terrific hi-energy ensemble dance in hot sequin sneakers...Definitely a fun night out at the theater going to a prom unlike one you’ve ever attended!"
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“So much fun...The music here was lively, if familiar. The lyrics suffered occasionally from a self-mocking, self-referential quality; still, there were some refreshing stings...The characters are broadly drawn Broadway type...The story is unlikely at best. But the script has some bite. There were up to twenty lines that only worked if you were steeped in musicals...That ‘The Prom’ is not edgy is fine; it is exuberant.”"
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