It’s prom season all across New England, and luckily, a lot of schools have come a long way since the days when queer folks were disallowed from inviting a same-sex date or wearing the formalwear that suited their gender identity. In this Tony Award-nominated musical, though, a lesbian student in a conservative Midwest town nonetheless finds herself in the center of controversy when she’s banned from bringing her girlfriend to the dance. Luckily (or not?), a quartet of washed-up Broadway actors swoop into town to rally behind her, turn her indignity into their own cause célèbre, and earn some publicity points in the process. Adapted into a star-studded film by Ryan Murphy (“Glee”) in 2020, “The Prom” is a hilarious, heartfelt and timely skewering of right-wing schoolmarms and leftist PR stunts alike.
| When | Where | How |
| May 5–June 3 | Stanford Calderwood Pavilion, BCA, Boston | speakeasystage.com |
