Critical Review at Hennepin Arts

Who looks at a news story about a girl whose high school prom was canceled because she wanted to bring her girlfriend as a date, and thinks “This would make a great musical!” The creators of “The Prom” did just that, proving theater magic can transform anything into a new, immersive world. The 2020 Netflix original movie based on the 2018 Broadway musical, “The Prom” is a fun romp that theater lovers young and old will enjoy. With references to plenty of Broadway shows, a star-studded cast with names you’ll certainly recognize, and a score full of catchy songs, “The Prom” is delightful, but too many main characters make it confusing and a bit hard to follow at times. “The Prom” centers around two stories: a small town Indiana lesbian, Emma Nolan, who just wants to bring her girlfriend to prom; and a quartet of down-on-their-luck but very self-absorbed Broadway stars who are looking for good press. When Emma’s school PTA freaks out and cancels prom rather than make it inclusive, it hit...

When it comes to The Prom, the Netflix Original with an all-star cast about four self-centered Broadway stars who help a gay teen attend her prom in Indiana, one would have to look far and wide for a positive review.  With James Corden, a straight British man, taking most of the justified criticism for his tragic misportrayal of Barry Glickman, a flamboyant gay American Broadway star, it’s difficult to focus on anything else.  Although Corden will be addressed in this review, as will Jo Ellen Pellman who played Emma Nolan, the focus will be on the movie as a whole, and some of the positives, James Corden was miscast as Barry Glickman.  Simply put, there are thousands of flamboyant American actors who would have been amazing in the role of Barry Glickman.  Before noticing anything problematic with his portrayal of a gay man, Corden’s attempt at an American accent distracted me from anything he was saying.  Along with that, his imitation of a “gay lisp” was o...

After a nearly year-long run on Broadway that brought critical acclaim, and getting snubbed at the Tony awards (which is a rite of passage for any good musical nowadays), The Prom closed its doors on August 11, 2019. Although a national tour was announced, fans were left wanting more of the smash hit show about LGBTQ+ inclusivity. Naturally, the vultures at Netflix seized another opportunity to take a beloved piece of artwork and destroy its beauty for a quick buck. When young Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman) gets her prom taken away simply because of her sexuality, Broadway’s most recent failures, Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep), Barry Glickman (James Cordon), and Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells) rush to Indiana to save the day and hope to get some good publicity while they are at it. But alas, they misunderestimated the hatred Hoosiers have for those that are different. After all, they did produce Mike Pence. On paper, The Prom movie seems like one of the best movie adaptations of a musi...

"Celebrities have the same power as the United States President. The power to influence the American public," jokes James Corden’s Barry Glickman in the Broadway-musical turned-Netflix-movie The Prom . A sentiment becoming more true each day through the growing presence of social media, The Prom sets up to take aim at the modern era’s most prevalent issues, from bigotry to identity and everything in between -- in musical form! But with so many saltient themes and so many stars to stud its cast, The Prom struggles to give ample time to any of them, alternating between tones and storylines without allowing any to “Just Breathe”, as much as its poppy lyrics would suggest otherwise.  The musical begins by introducing Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, and Andrew Rannells as four Broadway stars down on their luck turning to activism to reaffirm their celebrity status. At the outset, each is characterized by slightly varied forms of two-dimensional narcissism ripe for rede...

“This is not about a prom anymore.  This is about right and wrong.”  When Barry Glickman uttered these words, he brought the subtext of this show into the main body of the text. -- The Prom , a show that ran from October 2018 until August of 2019, may be about a girl trying to attend her prom, but the message of the show extends so much deeper than that to encompass the struggle of LGBTQ+ youth and the need for acceptance and inclusion for all. Many actors’ performances delivered a punch.  Andrew Rannells succeeded in creating an insufferable yet lovable portrayal of Trent Oliver with pompous reminders of his alma mater along with solid relationships with other characters.  Jo Ellen Pellman gave Emma’s character depth.  Her performance of “Unruly Heart” brought me close to tears with her soulful yet deceptively simple singing.  However, her mannerisms seemed odd at times; for example, she smiled while talking about breaking up with Alyssa (Ariana DeBose),...

“ The Prom ” is a vivid, colorful musical produced by Netflix after being cut off of the broadway stage by our gnarly pandemic. The plot follows Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman), a lesbian teen, who wants to take her girlfriend, Alyssa (Ariana Debose), to prom - which, as the script says itself, “is simple as far as wanting goes.” However, she is thwarted by the homophobic efforts of her small Indiana town. Her story attracts the attention of some self-proclaimed “stars,” recently rejected by Bbroadway because of their insensitivity - Dee Dee (Meryl Streep), Barry (James Cordan), Angie (Nicole Kidman), and Trent (Andrew Rannells) - who hope to redeem themselves in the public eye by latching onto a stirring cause. Unfortunately, to me, it seems the movie itself follows the plot a little too closely - the musical feels like an attempt by its producers to stay relevant-, and all the genuine heart is come upon by accident. From the first second, the show is casually engaging - Meryl Stre...