WEST ORANGE, NJ - This year's West Orange High School musical, The Prom, debuts April 4 at 7:00 pm, with additional performances April 5 at 7:00 and April 6 at 2:00 pm. It's funny, sad, and stunning, and underscores the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and acceptance.
The Prom is so much more than a musical. High school proms are rites of passage, signaling the end of adolescence and the move into adulthood. In the small, traditional Midwestern town of Edgewater, Indiana, same-sex couples are unwelcome at the prom, even in 2025. So much so, that the PTA cancels the prom to keep it from happening, and the students revile Emma, who just wants to dance with her girlfriend. Enter a group of narcissistic actors from New York City in need of some good PR, who decide to come and "help."
What ensues is hilarity - and sadness. Although it is determined that the prom is back on and Emma should be able to attend, the PTA and students set her up and relocate the event. Emma shows up to an empty gym. It's not hard to feel her pain and heartache for being shunned and excluded. How Emma and actors manage to turn the situation around helps everyone to grow, and in the end, there indeed is a dance.
It's hard to believe, but even ten years ago in a progressive state like New Jersey, The Prom would not have been performed due to its potentially controversial nature. Times may change, but the LGBTQ community has existed throughout. At its core, the issue of DEIA is the message of The Prom - that all people are equal and have a right to be who they are, and that just maybe, it's not as big of a deal as people want to make it out to be.
As always, the cast is exceptional. From the main players to the ensemble, the months of hard work shows the heart and soul they have put into bringing the show and its message to life. The orchestra, equal to the Broadway show, shines. The lighting is spectacular, and the audience will feel as though they are right in the middle of Edgewater, Indiana with the cast.
There are still tickets available to the shows. Get tickets HERE.
SEE ALL THE PHOTOS FROM THE PROM HERE.
The cast of The Prom
(L-R) Samuel Soroko as Mr. Hawkins, Coleman Simmons as Trent Oliver, Mia Peretz as Angie Dickinson, Alex Cureton as Sheldon Saperstein, Abby Rothstein as Dee Dee Allen, and Mason Insana as Barry Glickman
Amelie Swayze as Emma performs "Unruly Heart"
CAST
in alphabetical order
Alyssa Greene Viviana Almanzar '28
Mrs. Greene RiRi Arjoon '25
Ensemble Noah Carneiro '27
Sheldon Alex Cureton 27
Ensemble Veronica Depauli '28
Ensemble Audrey G. Fifield '28
Kevin Vincent Fondetto 28
Ensemble Izzy Greenberg 27
Ensemble Talia Gurkan
Nick Carlo Henriquez '25
Ensemble Apollo Hooks '28
Ensemble Angel Ike-Egolum '27
Barry Glickman Mason Insana '25
Ensemble Anya Michelet '27
Ensemble Lucia (Lulu) Pereira 25
Angie Dickinson Mia Peretz '25
Ensemble Ari Lacy '27
Shelby Ofelia Perez 25
Ensemble Salem (Sal) Pierre 28
Ensemble Alexa Richards 27
Kaylee Karissa Rivers '25
Dee Dee Allen Abby Rothstein 25 Trent Oliver Coleman Simmons '27
Mr. Hawkins Samuel Soroko '26
Emma Nolan Amelie Swayze '26
Ensemble Eli Tornopsky 27 Olivia Keating/Ensemble Moon Zeppa 28
PIT BAND
Conductor Scott Tomlin*
Keyboard 1 John Samorian
Keyboard 2 Marc Vincent
Violin Danielle Sinclair
ViolinElliot Chun
Violin Andrew Chan '25
Cello Alec Hamilton*
Cello Matthew Emmanuel '25
Bass Devin McGuire
Guitar Gary Margerum*
Reed 1 Erik Donough
Reed 2 Brendan Hughes
Trumpet 1 Mark Lagatic*
Trumpet 2 Christian Orrico
Trombone Julie Passaro Krygsman
Drums Phil Gallo
Percussion David Attia '26
*denotes West Orange Faculty
See the Production Crew HERE.
