Theater Review: "The Prom" by Get Up Stage Company

By Nancy Sasso Janis

The Get Up Stage Company (GUSCO) is presenting a polished production of “The Prom” at the sparkling Rockwell Theater. Remaining performances are Aug. 12 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. I was grateful to be allowed to attend the opening performance and I enjoyed every minute, getting lost in the beauty of the production.

In a nutshell, the musical follows four Broadway actors lamenting their days of fame, as they travel to the conservative town of Edgewater, Indiana, to help a lesbian student banned from bringing her girlfriend to high school prom.

“The Prom” has a book and lyrics by Chad Beguelin, book by Bob Martin and music by Matthew Sklar. As always, Lindsey DiPietro directs the young performers and ensures that each and every one shines.

Jayden Greenlaw is a delight as Barry in his first GUSCO production. Greenlaw is a rising junior at Waterbury Arts Magnet School and shares his hope that because of this production, “someone in the audience can take something away from this moving story and can become their true selves.”

Lauren Fitzgerald of Burlington masterfully plays the role of the Broadway actress Dee Dee. She will be a junior at the Manhattan School of Music in the fall.

Javen Levesque is very strong in the role of Trent. Levesque is a rising sophomore at WCSU and actually began his journey on the state last summer in the title role of “Jekyll & Hyde” just last summer. He has since appeared as Moritz in Connecticut Theater Company’s “Spring Awakening” and Bobby Strong in Brookfield Theatre’s ‘Urinetown.”

Kristi Yurko returns to the stage to play Angie. Kylie Bernier, a sophomore at Vermont State University, is very believable in the role of Emma and sings extremely well in her second year at GUSCO.

Liv Testa, who was wonderful as Lucy in “Jekyll & Hyde,” plays the lovely Alyssa. Testa is from Southington and is a rising junior at Long Island University. Ben Marin plays Principal Hawkins in his second GUSCO show. He attends CCSU as a music education major.

Corrine Dandelski of Southington plays beyond her years in the role of Alyssa mother, Mrs. Greene. The actress is a rising junior at CCSU and is part of her second GUSCO production.
Angelina Morin (they), a rising sophomore at Bristol Central HS, appears as Sheldon
Josh Aiello plays Nick, Jake Stemmer, who will head to WCSU in the fall, is Kevin
Carson Gagne, a rising Bristol HS senior, plays Shelby in her third GUSCO show, and Julia Leba is Kaylee in her GUSCO debut.

The talented dancers in the ensemble are rising senior at Bristol Central HS Miranda Muscara, Western New England University freshman Taylor Berube, 14-year old dancer Lilly Martin, rising Bristol Central HS sophomore River Muscara, rising Bristol HS sophomore Damon Gagne, incoming freshman at Bristol Central HS Lucy Pons, Eric Orsini, a rising sophomore at The University of Hartford, college student Nick Maniccia and rising Bristol Central HS sophomore Kay Archambault.

The eight-musician band makes the score sound excellent under the direction of Music Director Theresa MacDonald. The choreography by Charlotte Pons is stellar and the dancers performed it well. Sound by Chad Emerson Breer worked well and Jesse Gamble served as Production/Theater Manager. Chad Emerson Breer (Bill Ding Theatricals) was the set designer/carpenter. There are a slew of projections that set the scene and beautiful costumes for the entire cast.

There is a bit of strong language in the script.

Tickets are available here.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theater reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, and she posts well over 100 reviews each year. She became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle in 2016. Her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted in the Naugatuck Patch as well as the Patch sites closest to the venue. She is also a feature writer and theater reviewer for the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column IN THE WINGS and theater reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

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