Freyr and Thor, Norse gods of rain and thunder, must have been conspiring against the Quad Cities’ theatre community this past weekend sending torrential rain, lightning and thunder through which I drove back from Richmond Hill Players in Geneseo on Thursday and to Quad City Music Guild on Friday to take in its production of The Prom, and, boy, am I glad that I did.
This script mirrors a real story in Itawamba County, Mississippi where high school senior, Constance McMillan, a lesbian, was barred from bringing her girlfriend to the senior prom. Celebrities Green Day, Cat Cora, and Lance Bass took up the cause to support Constance and when the Indiana Attorney General ruled against them, the parents who had tried to cancel the prom completely ended up planning a shadow prom thereby humiliating Constance when she arrived to a nearly empty gymnasium.
Chad Beguelin, Bob Martin and Matthew Sklar have transformed this tragedy into a soaring transfiguration simply by using exaggerated characters and circumstances that makes an uncomfortable topic palatable.
The Prom, here directed by the multi-talented Mike Turczynski, is an absolutely stunning production of a brilliant script that converts cruel, real-life bullying into a comic yet sensitive and thoughtful examination of a controversial subject that lifts our souls, changes our lives, and makes the world a better place to live and that, my friends, is the magic of theatre.
Turczynski has assembled a celestial cast of talent for this show both vocal and acting. Making her QCMG debut as Emma Nolan is Addison Jorgensen whose program bio says she is a college film student who says her true passion is theatre and it shows. As Emma’s closeted girlfriend, Alyssa Greene, is Shay Schehl their stage chemistry was phenomenal and their duet, “Dance with You” was tender and endearing.
As the narcissistic quartet of Broadway has-beens hell-bent on rescuing Emma are Tim Dominicus as Barry Glickman, Shana Kulhavy as Dee Dee Allen, Melissa Anderson Clark as Angie Dickenson and Daniel Williams as Trent Oliver. Their performances and vocals were over the top fantastic.
Honestly Music Guild continues to impress me with the quality of every production I have attended. We are truly blessed to have this troupe of performers in the Quad Cities. Huzzah!
The Prom continues at Quad City Music Guild in Moline’s Prospect Park, Friday and Saturday, July 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 20 at 2:00 p.m. If you’re new to Music Guild, be advised that parking at the theatre is limited to the handicapped and to volunteers only. All others can catch a shuttle from the Southpark Mall’s parking lot east of Dick’s Sporting Goods.
I’m Chris Hicks…break a leg.