[1] 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.

A film adaptation, starring Meryl Streep and James Corden, and produced/directed by Ryan Murphy, was released on Netflix on December 11, 2020.

[2] She had plans to bring her girlfriend to their senior prom and wear a tuxedo, and in response, was banned from attending by the school board.

Local parents quietly organized a separate prom for the rest of the students, making sure to keep the location secret to avoid media attention.

Casey Nicholaw was director and choreographer, with set design by Scott Pask, costumes by Ann Roth and Matthew Pachtman, lighting by Kenneth Posner and sound by Peter Hylenski.

They team up with two other washed-up actors — Trent Oliver, a Juilliard School graduate down on his luck who has just been cast in the non-Equity tour of Godspell, and Angie Dickinson, a life-long chorus girl who just quit after 20 years in the musical Chicago.

Searching on Twitter, they find Emma, an Indiana teenager whose prom has been cancelled because she wanted to bring her girlfriend as her date.

Mr. Hawkins, the school principal and Emma's ally, informs her that he has spoken to the state attorney general in hopes of reinstating the prom.

After the meeting, it is revealed that the girl Emma wants to take to prom is Alyssa, a popular but closeted student and the daughter of Mrs. Greene, the head of the PTA.

Mr. Hawkins, who is inside desperately trying to resolve the issue, reveals that the PTA lied to him and have secretly moved the prom across town.

The actors book Emma a TV appearance, but she turns it down and tells them that she has her own plan to control the narrative and change minds.

Emma uploads a video of her singing with her guitar about her struggles and longing for acceptance, but how despite that she is proud of who she is and won't hide anymore.

The PTA attempts to block the new prom but are stopped from doing so when the students voice their support, thanks to Trent's efforts to change their minds.

[17] Susana Zavaleta Samantha Salgado Pahola Escalera Jose Luis Rodriguez "Guana" Esteban Provenzano Majo Perez Freddy Ortega The Prom was the first musical of the 2018–2019 Broadway season to be named a New York Times Critics Pick, with Jesse Green calling it "such a joyful hoot.

"[22] Frank Rizzo, writing for Variety wrote that "with a tuneful score, a playful book, and performances that remind you what Broadway heart and chutzpah are all about, this cause celebre of a show turns out to be a joyous, funny, and sweet production that should appeal to several generations of musical fans.

"[24] Adam Feldman of Time Out Magazine gave the show 4 out of 5 stars, saying "It is cheering to see a musical comedy that engages with modern questions, with a teenage lesbian romance at its center to boot...

But Casey Nicholaw's peppy direction helps give the show enough momentum to power past its narrative potholes and occasional bumps of heavy-handedness.

"[25] In The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney called the show “one part satire, packed with delicious theatrical in-jokes delivered with aplomb by game stage veterans playing caricatures of themselves; and one part inclusivity teaching moment, reminding us there's a place for everyone beneath the Mylar balloons at a high school dance, even in conservative Indiana.

[33] The musical joins TRW's catalogue of Broadway and West End shows including Jersey Boys, Monty Python's Spamalot, The Addams Family, The Color Purple, Million Dollar Quartet, and others.

[35] "Metro Award" (México) The UK and Commonwealth novelization rights of the play, written by Saundra Mitchell, were acquired by Penguin Random House's editorial and media development director Holly Harris, who did a pre-emptive deal with Creative Artists Agency and William Morris Endeavor.