Lesbian Couple Gets Married Onstage During Curtain Call for Broadway's LGBTQ-Themed The Prom
This couple found true love at The Prom!
Following Saturday night’s performance of the Broadway musical comedy, audience members got a big surprise when a real-life couple Armelle Kay Harper and Jody Kay Smith exchanged vows onstage.
After the cast took their bows, the couple, who both wore rose gold sequin-covered dresses, got married in a ceremony officiated by one of the show’s writers, Bob Martin, who gave them the idea to tie the knot onstage a couple months earlier.
“He said, ‘Well, I’ve married people onstage before, so if you wanted to just get it over with and do it at curtain call, we can do that,’ ” Smith, who is an actress and singer, told The New York Times.
Although Smith and Harper will be holding a larger ceremony in September, the couple, who both share a love of theater, felt a strong connection with the show, which tells the story of four actors who travel to Indiana, where a lesbian student who wants to bring her girlfriend to prom is facing opposition.
“There are so many shows where lesbians are secondary characters or the butt of the joke,” Harper told The New York Times. “So The Prom is really unique in that it’s a celebration, and it’s funny without being at the expense of lesbians. It’s just so much joy.”
Like the characters in the show, Harper grew up in a homophobic environment.
“Even coming from that background, I’ve never felt a pinch of regret or shame,” she told the Times. “Loving Jody is worth everything. And being myself is worth everything.”
Harper went on to add that although only her mother, brother and grandmother will be coming to their September wedding, she hopes that in time the rest of her family will “see that this is beautiful.”
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The couple’s romance began in 2017, when Harper found Smith on the dating app Bumble one night.
After the pair matched up with each other, Smith immediately asked Harper about her work on Broadway and within 20 minutes they decided to ditch the app and meet up in person.
The couple’s connection was undeniable and just 19 days later, Smith proposed.
“We’re both really witty people, and it’s hard to find someone who can keep up,” Harper told The Times. “But she really got me, and she made me laugh. Plus those blue eyes. What can you do? Gorgeous.”
The Prom is currently playing on Broadway and closes Aug. 11.
