Regina Brown believes that if she had seen “The Prom” as a teenager, it would have changed her life.
Alas, “The Prom” did not exist back then.
Regina Brown plays gay high school student Emma, in the Slown Burn Theatre production of "The Prom," opening Saturday, March 23 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
Fortunately, it does now. And, in a matter of days, the 25-year-old Brown will star in Slow Burn Theatre Company’s production of the show.
Slow Burn’s mounting will run from Saturday, March 23 through Sunday, April 7 in the Amaturo Theater, located within the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale.
Brown says “The Prom” tells her story. Therefore, she is elated that she will star in it.
“It makes me feel like the luckiest person,” Brown says. “Being an out and proud gay woman (and) able to tell my story onstage, I think, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
In “The Prom,” four fading Broadway stars desperately need a new stage. So, when they hear that trouble is brewing around a small-town Indiana prom – and the press is involved – the actors know that it’s time to shine a spotlight on the issue.
Gay high school student Emma (Brown) just wants to take her girlfriend, Alyssa (Sara Lash), to their school’s prom. However, the town’s parents want to keep the dance on the straight and narrow. But the girls will gain allies in their struggle, thanks to the aforementioned Broadway actors who come to the students’ aid.
Brown says that the moment she stepped into Emma’s shoes, she felt immensely calm because of how “aligned” she felt with her character. And Brown, who has been acting since she was a younster, says “The Prom” is the best show she has ever been a part of.
Brown’s message to potential audience members: “Come see the show because it has a message for every single person (who) comes to see it.”
Slow Burn’s Artistic Director, Patrick Fitzwater, says “The Prom” carries relevant themes such as love, acceptance, community, courage, perseverance, and hope.
“It’s so joyful and there’s so much redemption and hope in the show,” he says. “Being a gay man, it feels good to tell one of our stories.”
Slow Burn's Artistic Director, Patrick Fitzwater, says “The Prom” carries relevant themes such as love, acceptance, community, courage, perseverance, and hope.
Fitzwater says the show tells a tale that the world needs to experience now. After all,
“The Prom” is about “realizing that we’re all in this together no matter who you are. Emma and Alyssa just (want) to go to the prom together like any other normal kid.”
Fitzwater says he has wanted to stage “The Prom” ever since it appeared on Broadway. He added that he saw the movie when it came out on Netflix in December 2020. Experiencing the film renewed his determination to produce it on Slow Burn’s stage.
“I cried,” Fitzwater says about his reaction to the story. He watched the movie again with his partner and Slow Burn’s co-founder, Matthew Korinko. He says they both cried all the way through.
Fitzwater says Slow Burn was one of the first theater companies to request the rights to stage a production of “The Prom.”
The licensor, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, “thought that we were the perfect fit for the show,” Fitzwater says. “They were thrilled we were doing it.”
The director says he feels that “The Prom,” which is based on a true story, has one of the strongest librettos of any show that Slow Burn has staged. In fact, the script and the music are “phenomenal,” he adds. Also, he noted that “The Prom” isn’t preachy and doesn’t make you feel like an outsider.
“The writers understood the characters,” he says, adding that they created the story “with their heart.”
“It’s the perfect night of theater,” Fitzwater says. “It has everything you could possibly want.”
The Prom features a book by Tony Award winner Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone) and Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (Aladdin), music by Tony Award nominee Matthew Sklar (Elf) and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin.
The show is particularly timely this time of year, since it’s almost prom season. What can audiences expect? Come expecting amazing dancing, amazing vocals, and a beautiful story, Fitzwater says. The relationships between the characters are also “beautiful,” he adds.
Actually, Emma and Alyssa are not the only characters who find true love. Straight characters do as well, Fitzwater says.
He says he hopes people walk away from the show with hope and thinking about others in the world.
“Sometimes we can be narcissists and not open our hearts to other people’s stories and struggles,” Fitzwater says.
He praised the cast.
Sarah Lash plays Alyssa in Slow Burn's production of the musical "The Prom" opening Saturday, March 23, at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
“They’re amazing, incredible,” Fitzwater says. “Everybody is working right at the top of their game.”
The cast features Margot Moreland, Henry Gainza, Michael Hunsaker, Shannon Mullen, Regina Brown, Chaz Rose, Shelley Keelor and Darius J. Manuel.
They are joined by an ensemble comprised of Lauren Abraham, Dalton Bertolone, Tim Canali, Austin Carroll, Daniella Castoria, John Cavaseno, Madeline Dunn, Melissa Goldberg, Kevin Hincapie, Nicole Piro, Joey Rodriguez, Emily Tarallo, Paul Tuaty, Ashley Valent, Corey Vega and Anneliese Wolfanger.
Fitzwater leads a creative team with Choreographer Reynel Reynaldo, Music Director Ryan Crout, Scenic Designer Timothy Dickey, Costume Designer Rick Peña, Lighting Designer Clifford Spulock and Sound Designer Dan Donato. The technical team behind The Prom are Technical Director Timothy S. Dickey, Production Stage Manager Jackie Lawlor, Assistant Stage Manager Jolie Rubinchik and wardrobe assistants Liz Ortega and Fionnegan Amygdalitsis.
Brown is making her Slow Burn debut with “The Prom.” She says she has heard nothing but “amazing things” about the multi award-winning Slow Burn Theatre Company. Fitzwater and cast members “have been the most supportive and amazing people to work with,” Brown says.
And, “Emma is 100 percent a dream role,” she adds.
Slow Burn Theatre Company’s production of “The Prom” will run from March 23-April 7 in the Amaturo Theater, located within the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale. The address is 201 S.W. 5th Ave. For tickets, go to www.slowburntheatre.org.
