The Broadway musical comedy follows a group of washed up Broadway actors who help a lesbian go to prom as part of a PR stunt. Dee Dee Allen (Meryl Streep), a two-time Tony Award winner, pairs up with Barry Glickman (James Corden) in a musical about First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt that’s a total flop. They each receive career-killing reviews, and decide to revive their reputations by throwing their weight behind a charity cause. They’re joined by veteran Broadway chorus girl Angie Dickinson (Nicole Kidman), along with out-of-luck actor Trent Oliver (Andrew Rannells), in boosting Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman), a high-school senior barred from bringing her girlfriend to the prom.
Production was halted on the film on March 12, but resumed on July 23. The Broadway edition, with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Bob Martin and Beguelin, bowed in New York on October 2018 after launching in Atlanta in 2016. The musical was nominated for six Tony Awards in 2019, including Best Musical, though it didn’t win any of them. “The Prom” joins another Netflix Broadway revamp alongside the Murphy-produced “The Boys in the Band,” directed by Joe Mantello and based on the 1968 play by Mart Crowley. Murphy is busy busy ever since signing one of the largest development deals in TV history with Netflix in 2018. His series “Hollywood” premiered on the streamer earlier this year, and next up is “Ratched,” created by Murphy with Evan Romansky and arriving on Netflix on September 18. The series stars Sarah Paulson as the titular nurse from hell from “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” diving into her psychological backstory. The cast, another one filled with marquee names, includes Cynthia Nixon, Judy Davis, Sharon Stone, Finn Wittrock, Charlie Carver, Amanda Plummer, Sophie Okonedo, Corey Stoll, and Vincent D’Onofrio. Murphy knows how to wrangle an ensemble.
— Ryan Murphy (@MrRPMurphy) September 13, 2020 Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
