When I first walked through the entrance to Curtis High School’s auditorium on the last night of Prom, I didn’t exactly know what to expect. How I left, however, is a different story. The first thing that hit me was the effects and vocals. The main cast, outfitted in glittery, stunning suits, never failed to deliver on the exact right notes that made their characters exactly who they were. This play began simply enough with the introduction of two pompous, self-centered, and (as the screenplay so aptly puts it) all-around narcissistic Broadway actors, one being the more prominent Dee Dee Allen, and the lesser known of the two evils, Barry Glickman. After the failure of their most recent vanity production, the two (played by Allison Kuhn, Eliot Caban) chase after some way to smooth over their exposure as narcissistic, conceited people, eventually landing on a social rights case that catches their attention, and the attention of the media: that of Emma. Emma, a lesbian (played by Esme Mitchell), has been left distraught by the fact that she will be unable to take her still closeted girlfriend, Alyssa Greene (played by Mina Perez) to their prom as a date, due to resistance from a fearful PTA.

What begins as a misguided, selfish attempt to smooth over their reputations gradually shifts into something real, and the Broadway actors later become true supporters of Emma and her girlfriend, sacrificing their ideas of fame and praise along the way for the sake of their cause. In the end, the play leaves you with a touching message that warns against the pain of virtue signaling, and the victims it leaves behind. Only through true investment and sacrifice was their mission made real, and in the end, Emma gets a real prom – one for both her and her girlfriend. Obviously, this year’s play was only made possible through the effort of the actors. All the actors clearly gave it their all. each giving a soulful performance that told the story in a concise way. Frankly, the entire cast is composed of shining stars, and I expect the next play, if it’s even possible, to be even better.