Northampton Community College Summer Theatre’s first production of its 2023 season is the Lehigh Valley premiere of “The Prom,” June 7 - 18, Lipkin Theater, Northampton Community College, Bethlehem Township.

The award-winning musical follows four fading Broadway actors as they travel to a conservative town in Indiana to help a lesbian student banned from taking her girlfriend to the high school prom.

The production is presented in recognition of Pride month in partnership with the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, Allentown.

“We are so excited to open with the Drama Desk winner, ‘The Prom,’ in its Lehigh Valley premiere,” says William Mutimer, NCC Summer Theatre Artistic Producing Director. Mutimer, who is directing the musical, says it has a “story that needs to be told” and describes it as a “loopy, loving, and joyous musical.”

The cast includes two actors who have appeared Off-Broadway in New York City.

Valerie A. Hill plays Dee Dee Allen, one of the fading Broadway actors in the show. She was in “Ten Percent Revue” and “Fairy Tales” Off-Broadway. She played the role of Mother in Northampton Community College Summer Theatre’s 2017 production of “Ragtime.”

Marcell McKenzie plays Mr. Hawkins, the Indiana high school principal. He has appeared in the Off-Broadway production, “Magic Box the Musical.” He was seen in Northampton Community College Theatre Department’s production pf “Head Over Heels” in 2021.

In “The Prom,” parents want to keep the senior dance on the straight and narrow. When Emma (Kate Morgan) wants to bring her girlfriend Alyssa (Myriam Zamy) to the prom, the entire town is in an uproar.

In the musical’s storyline, Broadway stars Dee Dee Allen (Valerie A. Hill) and Barry Glickman (Bill Mutimer) are in desperate need of some publicity. When they hear that controversy is brewing around a small-town prom and the press is involved, they enlist two friends and decide to put a spotlight on the issue and themselves, as well.

Broadway producer Jack Viertel (“Hadestown,” “Falsettos,” “Something Rotten!”) came up with the concept for the show after seeing news reports about gay students not being allowed to go to their proms. He pitched the idea to Casey Nicholaw, who became the original production’s director and choreographer.

Nicholaw brought in the team of Matthew Sklar, Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin to create the music, lyrics and book. The three had collaborated on “Elf the Musical.” Beguelin and Sklar had collaborated on “The Wedding Singer.” Martin had co-written “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and made his Broadway debut in “The Drowsy Chaperone” role of Man in Chair.

“The Prom” debuted on Broadway in 2018. The musical received seven Tony Award nominations, including for best musical, and won the Drama Desk award for best musical.

The musical was adapted into a 2020 movie starring Meryl Streep, James Corden and Nicole Kidman.

The cast includes professional actors Kevin Gaughenbaugh, Michael Mottram, Janae Gray and Sieanna Rahatt and Northampton Community College students Lydia Walker, Max Wetherhold, Mason Wold, Josh Crowley, Isaiah Elleby, Mina/Will Price and Cade Kocher. Faith Stak is dance captain.

Musical direction is by Chad Miller. Choreography is by Tina Williams.

NCC Summer Theatre is supporting YWCA Bethlehem’s Pop-up Prom Shop by collecting gently-used prom dresses at each performance of “The Prom.” Audience members are invited clean out their closets and bring in gowns.

“The Prom,” 7:30 p.m. June 7-9, 14-16; 2, 7:30 p.m. June 10, 17; 2 p.m. June 11, 18, Lipkin Theater, Northampton Community College, 3835 Green Pond Road., Bethlehem Township. Tickets: 484-484-3412, https://www.northampton.edu

Curtain Rises” is a column about the theater, stage shows, the actors in them and the directors and artists who make them happen. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com