Anyone who attends an upcoming performance of the USM spring musical “The Prom” will not be disappointed (performances continue from Wednesday, April 10 through Sunday, April 14).
Audience members who attended the first three shows this past weekend were impressed with many aspects of the student actors’ performances. The high quality of the dancing, singing, and acting was apparent throughout the course of the show. The choreography especially stood out, as it included many complex dance numbers which the actors needed to precisely dance in rapid succession.
Most of the actors also sang, performing numerous solos and ensemble songs while also making what seemed like an impossible number of quick costume changes. Overall, the high level of the performances was close to what would be seen at many professional summer theaters, such as the Ogunquit Playhouse, and the Maine State Music Theater in Brunswick.
Photo credit: Michael KmackKaroline Brechter and Emma Hall having a tender moment in “Dance With You”.
Besides the very entertaining singing and dancing, accompanied by the fast-paced comic dialogue, “The Prom” is also a musical with a positive and heartwarming message of love, acceptance, and empowerment. It tells the story of what happens when four Broadway actors (and their publicist) travel to a small town in Indiana to support a young woman, whose high school has canceled its senior prom because of her plans to bring her lesbian girlfriend to the dance as her date. The locals and the Broadway outsiders all learn important lessons from their unexpected encounters.
Although the eventual happy ending is not a surprise, there are still enough unexpected plot twists to hold the audience’s interest before the satisfying conclusion, which includes a rousing singing and dancing finale.
Photo credit: Michael Kmack(l to r) Gabriel Paulin, Taylor Ciotti, Lily Tayler,
& Will Searway leading the company in the show stopping gospel infused number “Love Thy Neighbor”