The Prom opens in Quincy on January 18th. The show is a production of Tallahassee’s New Stage Theatreworks, the group that produced the hit Broadway show Kinky Boots last summer.
The Prom is about Emma, who causes a media frenzy when she tries to take her girlfriend to the big dance.
When four fading Broadway stars hear about it, they descend on Emma’s small Indiana town to bring more attention to her plight – and to themselves.
Director Naomi Rose-Mock says the story explores stereotypes.
“This is the aging Broadway queen. This is the Broadway diva. This is the lame high school principal,” says Rose-Mock. “Then, everyone has more going on within this story, so they subvert what you expect about it which I think is very clever.”
The humanity of these stereotypical characters is eventually revealed.
“I think that's what we need to get away from. We’re pigeonholing people as stereotypes. Just let them be them,” says Robert Stuart, who plays one of the Broadway stars.
The Prom is based on a true story. It was on Broadway for about nine months starting in late 2018, and the movie version can be seen on Netflix.
The show hits on topics being discussed in the Florida Legislature, like LBGTQ guidelines in schools and the impact of social media on kids.
“It deals with social media. It deals with how that affects our version of life. It deals with how that can be influential, how it can be distorted,” says Rose-Mock, a popular director in the area’s theatre community. “I've personally never directed a show which is that aware of that influence. This is the first one I've done that takes it head on.”
The Prom runs one weekend only at Quincy Music Theatre with five performances scheduled Thursday through Sunday Jan. 18-21. Tickets are $20.75 - $22.75. Click here for more information.
Click LISTEN to hear Rose-Mock and Stuart talk more about the show.
