THEATER REVIEW: 'Prom' a great date in the inclusive heartland

Playhouse Square continues its Broadway-lite season amid COVID-19 with one of the most feel-good musicals from pre-pandemic Broadway — "Prom." The big surprise, however, is that the show manages to engage and entertain even more cynical musical enthusiasts. Expectations may have been softened by the recent Netflix film version of the Tony-nominated tale, which is about a team of narcissistic Broadway elites who descend upon an Indiana backwater town to "rescue" a lesbian teen denied a chance to take her girlfriend to the prom. Stuffed to the gills with an all-star cast led by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and James Corden, the top-heavy Netflix version seemed pat, patronizing, pushy and politically correct. It was hard to imagine such a contrivance was based on a true story in Mississippi a decade ago. But with the new national tour that opened this week at the Connor Palace Theatre, audiences get a chance to step back into the magic of live theater, where breaking out into classic Broadway showbizy numbers and occasional wink-wink pastiches (crafty music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin) are joyously involving rather than obvious and obligatory. The production itself seems to dazzle in ways uncommon in a national road company designed for smaller engagements (Cleveland being one of the longer runs at three weeks). Scenic designer Scott Pask conjures up awesome visions of heartland life, where even the parking lot of a convenience store ably supports a brilliant second-act production number — more hip-hop heft by choreographer and director Casey Nicholaw. Costumes by Ann Roth and Matthew Pachtman are stylish and evocative (and even glittery where need be) without betraying the non-coastal vibe of Middle America teens. But the cast, stridently helmed by Nicholaw, are as commanding as they are fetching. It starts with Courtney Balan and Patrick Wentzel as the consummately fatuous stars coming to terms with show-closing reviews of their would-be Broadway musical based on Eleanor Roosevelt. The near-has-beens join forever wannabes — Emily Borromeo, as an eternal "Chicago" chorus girl waiting to step in for the star, and Bud Eber, whose Juilliard cred has forever been swallowed by his stint in a '90s TV sitcom — and with help from Shavey Brown as the savvy but practical press agent, they plot to show the world they have genuine social-justice value. These hopelessly self-indulgent showfolk do so by hopping a wayward "Godspell" national tour bus to Edgewater, Indiana, to aid a marginalized teen lesbian (portrayed with perfect subtlety by Kearney). Adding to the able mix are Kalyn West as the closet cheerleader love interest and Ashanti J'Aria as her conniving, homophobic mother — both avoiding broad caricatures. No, this is not earthshaking new ground, even for Indiana. But that's not the goal here: It's entertainment and escapism. It's a reminder of how Americans learn to get along rather than polarize themselves, where even a Broadway diva learns the finer pleasures of dinner at an Indiana Applebee's — or as she puts it, "Apples and Bees." Contact Howard Gollop at howieeg@hotmail.com. IF YOU GO WHAT: KeyBank Broadway Series presents "The Prom" WHEN: Through Nov. 21 (times vary) WHERE: Connor Palace Theatre, 1615 Euclid Ave., Cleveland TICKETS: $10 to $115 INFO: (216) 241-6000 or playhousesquare.org