LGBTQ+ musical 'The Prom' at Basie marks a milestone for Phoenix Productions, group says

The character of Barry Glickman in "The Prom" has performed on Broadway. He's seen the glitz fall away from that career. He's gay, he's exuberant, he's confident, he's full of love. He's made changes in his life that make him more supportive, more caring.

If lived experiences make for the perfect embodiment of a role, you couldn't find a more perfect fit for Matty Price of Red Bank.

Price plays Barry in Phoenix Productions' "The Prom," which hits the Count Basie Center for the Arts stage this weekend.

"The Prom" tells the story of Emma Nolan, a teenager fighting for the right to attend prom with her girlfriend — with the help of four washed-up Broadway actors looking to revitalize their careers by doing a good deed. It features lyrics by Chad Beguelin, a book by Beguelin and Bob Martin, and music from Matthew Sklar.

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Price appeared in "Gypsy" on Broadway, but it's performing in community theater now that brings him joy and fulfillment. A nurse who is married with children, he relishes the chance to interact with younger artists, mentoring and teaching as well as performing.

Price's connection with 18-year-old Rebecca Grodek of Middletown, who stars as Emma, is evident, with the two sharing laughs, tears and inside jokes.

A high school student who admits to being a bit awkward, Grodek shares similarities with her character.

"Everyone has been just so supportive, especially being a teen in a role like this," said Grodek. "Being around such talented adults pushes me further into my character, going off (them) and the way they interact with each other on stage. It's inspiring to watch. The people have helped me progress as a person and as an actor."

It's the connection that Phoenix Productions has been leaning into, aiming to create and mine experiences that change lives both onstage and in the audience.

The right time

James Grausam, who joined the board of Phoenix Productions a decade ago, is now serving as managing artistic director. The community theater troupe, which is celebrating its 35th season, officially merged with the Basie a few years back.

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"We do our merger and one of the big tenets that the Basie is really focusing on is inclusion," he said. "We started with 'Once On This Island.' We did 'Ragtime,' and we did it very differently than we did it the first time," he said.

Grausam had been pushing for the troupe to do "La Cage aux Folles" for quite some time.

"Every single time I brought it up, everyone said our neighborhood isn't ready for a gay story," he said.

But now is the right time. When it came time to choose this season, Grausam mentioned "The Prom" was available.

"I said ... 'When we talk about inclusion, we should tell all of the stories.' It's not just an ethnic story or religious story. If we're going to be inclusive, let's include all of the diaspora of human humanity. And it's also my story. I didn't get to go to prom with whom I wanted to go to prom with."

Price, 43, said he also could not attend prom as a same-sex couple.

"A lot of the shows that have gay themes for my generation touch on topics that aren't necessarily about standing up for your rights, for being a gay person coming out of the closet," he said. "I came up in the 'Falsettos' and 'Rent' days when the gay topics were really just about disease and not so much coming out. No happy endings and all this trauma."

"The Prom" is different, he said.

"This is one of these beautiful shows that is comedic and as musical theater-y as it gets, with the glitz and the glam and the very, very shmaltzy characters," Price said. "But the message is very, very real to a lot of people in my community. And I think that's just so special."

It's a "love letter to Broadway," Gausam said.

"Every type of Broadway show is represented here," he added. "But the number that hits the hardest is just a girl in her bedroom with a guitar on social media. If we just strip it all away and just say, 'Hey, listen to the girl. Hear what her heart wants.' If we all just listen to each other's hearts, it'd be so much easier."

Go: "The Prom," 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4; Count Basie Center for the Arts, 99 Monmouth St., Red Bank, $20 to $65; phoenixredbank.com.

Ilana Keller is an award-winning journalist and lifelong New Jersey resident who loves Broadway and really bad puns. Reach out on Twitter: @ilanakeller; ikeller@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Phoenix Productions The Prom comes to Count Basie Center for the Arts