Fill Your Unruly Heart with Joy at Thank You 5 Productions’ “The PROM” at Kelsey Theatre

by Don Toal Jr.

We all carry a lot around with us.

We carry regrets, mistakes, insecurities, fears.  We carry around masks and walls we put up to protect ourselves from those same sources of fear and loneliness.  Which is why having a space to let those walls down and be the most authentic versions of ourselves is so important.  To feel emotions honestly and without judgment.  For me (and I would imagine, a lot of folks reading these words), the theatre is definitely that space.  And for the talented team at Thank You 5 Productions, they make it clear that The PROM, with Book & Lyrics by Chad Beguelin, Book by Bob Martin, and Music by Matthew Sklar, deserves to be one of those spaces as well.  For everyone.  

Director Laurie Gougher hones in on the deeply human need to belong with their vision for this production–and that finding that truth sometimes requires us getting out of our own way and living with vulnerability and compassion.  The result is a production that is at times larger than life and deeply human in the same breath.

Producer Beverly Kuo-Hamilton, Assistant Producer Evan Paine, in concert with Thank You 5 Productions’ Artistic Director Andrew Devlin, Promotions by Miranda Williams, and the fantastic team at the Kelsey Theatre at Mercer (who manage to host more companies in a single season than I have ever seen at the community theatre level) guide the production team to craft a show that is brimming with heart and humor.  The direction works hand in hand with Stage Manager Fabiola Bien-Aimé, Assistant Stage Manager Cyrus Nasib, and Stage Crew Devlin, Miranda Williams and Zhi Sharpe to keep the action moving swiftly, covering scene changes with animated stage business wherever possible.  

Gougher also makes great use of the Kelsey’s unique space, often placing the cast in the aisles for moments of immersion and surprise reveals.  The unit set designed by Devlin and constructed by Set Carpenter Jeff Cantor and Set Painters Cynthia Leavey and Cerina Pocino gives the space the scale and height of your average high school gymnasium (with room for some clever projections in the upper windows, and the rest of the scenery is packed with details that instantly tell a clear environmental story, courtesy of Props Coordinator Miranda Williams. Jackson Siegel’s lighting design is an excellent compliment, with plenty of special cues to give moments extra punch. Costumes by Darrell J. Watts have the right amount of Zazz to go around, with each look fitting the character to a tee and holding up through plenty of high-octance choreo.  And Sound Designer Noah Schwartz (with A2 assistance from Marryanne Fiuza) weaves together the sounds of vocalists and pit alike into an audio tapestry that keeps your toes tapping.

That party time sound is also thanks to the small but mighty pit orchestra stationed in the Kelsey’s rafters, whose sound is clear, strong, and undeniably fun.  With Francois Suhr on Conductor duties/Keyboard, Paul Bezner on Keyboard 2, Aaron Allen on Drums, Thomas Lewis on Bass, Meghan Doyle on Guitar, Jean Anne Gould on Reed 1, Vincent Sorensen on Reed 2, and Laura Neville on Trumpet, they walk the line between synth pop jams and Broadway ballads effortlessly.  Suhr’s Music Direction does its best to match energy with the pit (though at times the balance favors the musicians over the singers), and ensures that all vocalists are singing from the heart as well as the diaphragm.  The resulting sound is bright and bubbly when it needs to be, and tinged with sincere emotion when that’s the goal.  Co-Choreographers Sheila Kraft and Simon Hamilton (with assistance from Dance Captain Kayleigh Coyle) pack the show’s many dance breaks full of exuberant movement, with plenty of spotlight moments for the individual members of the ensemble to shine.  The company dances with joy to spare, without exception.  And Intimacy Coordinator Katie Sillitti makes sure the show’s most vulnerable expressions of love and emotion are handled with care.

Vulnerability is one of the core themes at the center of The PROM--being true to yourself, and how difficult it is to do so when others–or yourself–won’t let you.  For queer teen Emma Nolan, that goal is simply expressed in wanting to dance at her school prom with the girl she loves.  As portrayed by Tori Cavallo, Emma is not only the narrative heart of the show but the emotional core of it as well.  Their scene choices make the character adorkably charming and relatably optimistic, wanting things to be better even when so much of the world around them has let them down and turned them away.  Cavallo’s vocal work is nothing short of stellar, as they infuse every word with expressive meaning and fantastic sound.  This comes to fruition during the acoustic confession “Unruly Heart,” a true eleven ‘o clock number in a show chock full of them.  Here, Cavallo bares Emma’s soul and delivers a message of love and hope that is clear, pure, and steeped in optimism and fire.  

That sincerity has an interesting effect on the group of theatre misfits that take up Emma’s struggles as a charity case to boost their flagging repuations.  The leaders of the pack – brassy grand dame Dee Dee Allen (Christina Parke) and one-time Drama Desk Award-winner Barry Glickman (Michael Zweig) – are as boisterously entertaining as can be.  Parke has the vocal chops to deliver with interest on every one of Dee Dee’s bold ballads, and the comedic wit to trade barbs with her costars effortlessly.  Her own journey as a woman learning to be more empathetic and selfless is just as fascinating to watch unfold as Emma’s.  Zweig plays Barry with scads of fabulous charm and zingers for all situations, earning big laughs from the audience.  But it’s his unlikely friendship with Emma that hits home even more, painting a relatable picture of two fellow outsiders trying to foster connection and build community.  Parke and Zweig both have infectious chemistry with all of their castmates, endearing the audience to them as much as Emma.

The rest of the fab five are also irreverently charming.  Edgar K. Mariano’s performance as Trent Oliver is delightfully clueless.  The struggles of this Juilliard grad trying to relate to “the youths” are as hilariously tone-deaf as they are affirming when they finally succeed in “Love Thy Neighbor.”  Forever chorus girl Angie Dickinson (Jina Choi) has a fantastically Fosse Act Two starter as she teaches Emma to embrace her inner “Zazz,” with plenty of style and attitude to boot.  And Ed Liu makes the most of every punchline as the ever-spinning Sheldon Saperstein, bringing a booming bass voice and a (slightly more) grounded personality to the merry band of misfits.

The residents of Edgewater, Indiana at the center of this tumultuous prompocalypse all have their own impact on Emma’s journey to acceptance.  As closeted cheerleader Alyssa Greene, Meah Jones walks the tightrope between wanting to be herself and living under the PTA perfectionist expectations of her conservative mother (Alexandra Haas).  Jones puts this on full display in “Alyssa Greene,” where she shares with Emma the anxiety and strain she’s been carrying around for so long.  Haas’ Ms. Greene is the most grounded character in the production, seeking to control out of fear and manipulation in a very familiar–but still human–form of intolerance.  Jones and Cavallo’s chemistry is effortless, giving the audience no reason not to root for them to be seen as they are.  Mark Applegate also brings a fair amount of homegrown chemistry to his turn as the beleaguered but still compassionate principal Mr. Hawkins. His developing rapport with Dee Dee as she allows herself to become more introspective and vulnerable is lovely to witness.  Applegate’s solo “We Look to You” as a mission statement for the power of the arts to make a difference in our lives–and give them meaning and beauty–is not to be overlooked, and is a highlight of the first act in an already stacked category. 

The rest of the company all add their fair share of personality and technical skill to the party.  Cheerleader cronies Kaylee (Kayleigh Coyle) and Shelby (Natalie Maldonado) work well as foils for both Alyssa and Emma without ever veering into cartoonish mean girl stereotypes–they, like the other closed-minded kids of Edgewater, are a product of their environment and upbringing more than anything else.  The greater Teen Ensemble, including Travis Weaver as Nick, Jaide Fisher as Kevin, along with Kheil Canono, Karina Godovanyy, Rielle Lewis, Aileen Lutz, Trevor McCutchen, Kelsey Schreibersdorf and Steven Smolka, inhabit the school halls and 7-Eleven parking lots with animated energy and authentic presence.  And they move, both individually and as a group, with phenomenal skill.  This also goes for the Godspell/adult Ensemble of Johnnie Bryant, Jr., Fred Ezell, Micah Goldschmidt, and Leah Panuccio, who not only understand the assignment for each scene but do plenty of choreographic heavy lifting themselves.  The choreography team truly lucked out having such a talented pool of artists to work with.  

As Mr. Hawkins says to Dee Dee, “a distraction is momentary.  An escape helps you heal.”  We can’t control a lot of things in our lives–as much as we wish we could.  But the opportunity to live authentically, to celebrate what makes us different rather than shunning it–or to simply escape to a story that helps us learn and appreciate those values–makes all the difference.  Thank You 5 Productions’ run goes through February 22–you owe it to yourself to see this production.  The heart and joy that dances to the beat on that stage is something more of us could learn from.  You can purchase tickets here: https://www.purplepass.com/organizer/66720