Musical ‘The Prom’ Opens At Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre

Every year, American teenagers have something to look forward to (or dread): photos, dinners, fancy outfits bedazzled with sequins, and the chance of a slow dance with that special person they’ve been admiring all year. It’s the prom.

“The Prom” is also a new musical opening at the Alliance Theatre. This prom story is a little bit more complicated than awkward photos.

It tells the story of Emma, who receives national attention after her small town Indiana high school cancels the prom instead of allowing her and her girlfriend to attend. Some fading Broadway stars rush to the small Indiana town, but it’s more than a display of activism ─ they are trying to get their moment in the spotlight.

“Throughout the show, we play with the idea of ignorance,” said Bob Martin, one of the creators of the show. Along with the town’s ignorance and prejudice against the lesbian teens, the Broadway stars show their own ignorance of small town culture. Martin continued, “They are imposing their point of view on a culture, and it disrupts everything.”