Is the choreography for THE PROM bad?

I don’t think the choreo is bad, but it IS busy. And overstuffed. But that doesn’t bother me. Sometimes it’s fun to have the choreographic kitchen sink thrown at you.

Also, choreo doesn’t always have to further the plot along. As said in “something rotten”- it doesn’t really advance plot or character, but it’s entertaining. “Too darn hot”’s choreo doesnt tell a story.... “turn it off” doesn’t either. neither does any tap break in any musical ever (maybe Scottsboro Boys).

That poster who wrote that was incorrect.

Updated On: 6/29/19 at 12:47 PM

It feels like too much to me. It is almost like the creators didn't trust in their material and felt like they needed to make the show more "FUN!" and "EXCITING!". I love most of the score and the book but the Choreography was just TOO MUCH. I can't wait to see what other director/choreographers do with the material when it hits the Regionals.

When I saw it on the Tony awards I instantly thought, "Oh no....here go the calisthenics again." Unfortunately, much of modern choreography is marching, hand/arm waving and lots of jumping around that has nothing whatsoever to do with story development or expression of character. In a musical, when a character bursts into song it's supposed to be an expression of the character that can no longer be maintained by the spoken word; it needs song and dance. What I saw with 'The Prom' was disconnected jumping-jacks, fist pumping and line dancing that was pedestrian and pointless. It also wasn't good....at all.

It's impressively executed, but not in any way that tells a story. Yes, choreography in musicals must tell a story. To use examples mentioned in this thread, Turkey Lurkey Time tells the audience that people are having drinks and letting loose at the office Christmas party. Too Darn Hot tells the story that the dancers want to have a good time but can't because it's too darn hot. Are either situation particularly dramatically compelling? No, but the dancing tells the audience something clear. In The Prom, take a look at that "Tonight Belongs to You" number--when the ensemble dances at their prom, they're singing that "tonight belongs to us" at the exclusion of the lesbian character. But the dancing (and the music, for that matter) seems to be expressing something joyful and empowering. The tone of it is at odds with what the moment in the show is. And none of the movements really express anything specific or emerge from character. Compare that to the--in my opinion--deeply underappreciated choreography from Tootsie this season. In the opening night song in Tootsie, which I saw way back last September out of town, I still vividly remember a dance move that involved the ensemble hopping while rotating in circles, spotting front. That move sticks out to me because it's something I hadn't seen before, and it clearly expressed the characters' emotions and the whimsical tone of the moment. In Tootsie, you're probably less likely to sit amazed by the dancers' ability to execute the choreography than at The Prom, but but the moves all have meanings that relate directly to the situations the story creates. Every time characters dance in a musical is an opportunity to express physically what is difficult to express verbally, and in my opinion, The Prom throws away those opportunities to dazzle you with acrobatics. It's another form of spectacle without substance.

I loved the choreography and I loved the rationale of the choreography. The show is ridiculous and over the top and melodramatic. Hence, the choreographic thrust.



Best moves on Broadway, currently, IMHO.



But are we experiencing a pretty great stretch of choreography lately? Nicholaw for Prom? Connor Gallagher for Beetlejuice? Drew McOnie for King Kong? Avihai Haham for Working? and upcoming: Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui for Jagged Little Pill?

I really enjoyed the show, and thought the Broadway leads were hilarious. Laughed throughout and went back to see it again.

That said: the choreography felt overdone and the dancing was....strenuous. It's a talented group up there, but the relentless dance moves only seemed to point out that this 'backwards' Indiana high school evidently was very, very multicultural....and was seemingly populated with people in their mid-to-late 20s. I opted not to see MEAN GIRLS after seeing the Tony segment that also featured people a decade older than high school. I'm willing to suspend a little disbelief, but these people didn't look or act much like high school kids but more like adults that were doing caricatures of "high school kids".

Yes.

I'd say the teens' dancing was dated, but I can't think of an era when kids ever danced like that. Between MEAN GIRLS and this, Casey shouldn't be choreographing for teenagers.

RippedMan said: "This is always a problem in Casey directed shows..."

Including Book of Mormon? I think every choreographed piece in that show is perfect for its respective song and not overdone at all.