The Broadway Musical 'The Prom' Is Up For Seven Tony Awards—Two Of Which Are For Bridgehampton's Chad Beguelin

When the Broadway musical “The Prom” opened at the Longacre Theatre in New York last October, it did so rather quietly, without a ton of fanfare or preview hype.

That may be because, unlike most Broadway offerings, this brand-new musical was not a revival, nor was it based on a popular novel, singer or movie. Instead, “The Prom” is a totally original piece of musical theater.

And in the months since it opened, it has become a hit. The crowds have grown, and the show’s reputation has spread, bolstered by great reviews and heartfelt word-of-mouth recommendations.

Now, “The Prom” is poised to take home a boatload of Tony Awards—it is nominated for seven, to be exact—when they are presented at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 9.

In addition to Best Musical, “The Prom’s” nominations also include two for part-time Bridgehampton resident Chad Beguelin, who is nominated for Best Book of a Musical, with Bob Martin, and Best Original Score for lyrics, with music by Matthew Sklar, his collaborative partner for more than 25 years.

At seven, “The Prom” doesn’t have the most nominations for a Broadway show this year—“Hadestown” takes that honor, with 14—but in a phone interview last week, Mr. Beguelin admitted it’s certainly the most nominations ever for a show he has worked on.

“This is the third time I’ve been nominated for both book and lyrics on a show,” said Mr. Beguelin, who received those nominations for “Aladdin” and “The Wedding Singer,” though he didn’t win. “I’m the Susan Lucci of Broadway,” he joked.

That may be true, but if history is any guide, Mr. Beguelin would be wise to remember that after years of being nominated with no wins, soap star Susan Lucci eventually did take home her Emmy. With any luck, 2019 will be a good year for both “The Prom” and Mr. Beguelin. The show certainly seems to be striking a chord with audiences.

“We’re lucky and relieved we got good reviews. It’s a new production that doesn’t have a brand behind it. Tonys always help,” Mr. Beguelin said. “It’s an original musical, which is rare these days. Usually, a show is based on a movie or a book. With ‘Aladdin,’ you don’t have to explain what that is. This is word of mouth generating ticket sales, and it’s building up by people who have seen the show and tell their friends.”

“The Prom” tells the story of Emma (Caitlin Kinnunen), a lesbian high school student in rural Indiana who learns that the PTA has decided to cancel the senior prom rather than allow her to attend with another girl.

After reading of Emma’s plight online, a group of self-centered Broadway actors seeking to garner publicity for themselves head west to Indiana to intervene on Emma’s behalf, despite the fact that she has neither asked for, nor does she want, their help.

As a side note, last November, Ms. Kinnunen and her co-star Isabelle McCalla, who plays her love interest, Alyssa, shared the first on-screen LGBTQ kiss in the history of the televised Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Not only is the show a completely original concept, in an ironic twist, it was recently announced that “The Prom” will be adapted into a young adult novel by Viking Children’s Books, an imprint of Penguin Books.

Mr. Beguelin explains that the way in which “The Prom” came about is unique as well. It began with producer Jack Viertel sharing an idea with the show’s eventual director, Casey Nicholaw, while they were working together at New York City Center in Manhattan.

“Jack had read about all of these kids in the Midwest who were banned from taking their same-sex partners to prom. He had the idea of putting the Broadway people in the mix, thinking they would save the day,” Mr. Beguelin explained. “We thought it was such a funny idea. We knew it had a message, but I’m amazed at how much it’s moving people and changing minds.

“Kids come up to me after the show and say, ‘This is my story. I’m in the closet—my mom is over there and she doesn’t know,’” he added. “It started out as a raucous comedy, but there’s the truth behind it.”

It’s a truth that Mr. Beguelin knows firsthand and all too well from his own youth growing up in the small rural community of Centralia, Illinois. “In a town that worshiped sports, I was as gay as a bucket of wigs,” he said. “We based the town in the musical on my childhood town.”

Though now fully entrenched in the artistic life of New York City, because of his background, Mr. Beguelin said he fully understands the issues that still define and divide small towns like the one in Indiana where the fictional Emma lives in “The Prom.” In his hometown and others throughout the middle part of the country, he sees how economic depression and fears give rise to intolerance, and he finds that the play is striking a chord and hitting home for many.

“The coal mine is no longer working, factories are shut down and people are scared,” he said. “I think in our show, they pick a scapegoat, find the uncertainty that’s common among them. That’s something I relate to.”

Though relevant in today’s political climate, for “The Prom,” the road to Broadway was neither fast nor in a straight line. Mr. Beguelin explained that it took seven years to get the show to where it is now. When he and Bob Martin began writing the musical, same-sex marriage wasn’t yet legal in the United States, and they worried the show might not feel relevant by the time it hit Broadway.

“When we first wrote it, we did workshops to put it on its feet and got family and friends to come see it and react,” he said.

One of the early criticisms of the play was that the character of Broadway diva Dee Dee Allen (played by Beth Leavel), who attempts to impose her considerable will on the citizens of small-town Indiana, was just too mean. “We realized it would be funnier if she was passionate but really uninformed,” noted Mr. Beguelin. “She doesn’t even know the name of the girl or the town. Suddenly, people are on her side, laughing with her in a good way.”

Another star of the show, Brooks Ashmanskas, plays Broadway actor Barry Glickman, and during the course of the play he develops an especially close relationship with Emma, identifying with her struggles growing up gay in the conservative Midwest. Mr. Beguelin found that as the musical came to life, the truth behind the humor affected many involved in the production very deeply, especially Mr. Ashmanskas.

“We knew Brooks was hilarious, and in a scene early on when he worked with Emma, he broke into tears,” said Mr. Beguelin. “The play was evolving as we went along and became very powerful. Especially writing ‘Just Breathe,’ the first song Emma sings while being bullied.

“I am no stranger to that. I dealt with it every day,” said Mr. Beguelin. “It’s funny how these things you’ve almost forgotten about come back.”

For a little more than a month in late summer of 2016, “The Prom” had a run at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, which Mr. Beguelin said seemed like a good place to test the waters.

“It was right before the presidential election, and we were worried maybe it wouldn’t be relevant anymore, because, for the LGBTQ community, things were getting better,” said Mr. Beguelin. “We were thinking maybe we don’t need the show anymore.

“But now, rights are being taken away, and we had to rethink it,” he said. “When Alyssa comes out to her mom, we had her saying, ‘Things are getting better.’ We had to rewrite it to say that ‘things are not great, and they’re probably going to get worse.’”

Many people who go to Broadway shows are visitors from the heartland where “The Prom” is set. When asked if some audience members bristle at the issues addressed in the play and the fun that is poked at that part of the world, Mr. Beguelin replied, “The good thing is, we don’t try to villain-ize anyone. We make fun of liberal Democrats as much as the other side.

“In Atlanta, we had a talkback after the show,” he added. “An older gentleman said, ‘If I knew what it was about, I wouldn’t have come. But I’m glad I came and those two girls got together.’”

Now, it’s nearly three years later and time for “The Prom” to go to the Tony Awards. When asked how he feels about the upcoming ceremony, Mr. Beguelin said, “I’m sweating it out.”

Those who haven’t seen “The Prom” might want to tune in to the awards broadcast for a sneak peek, as all shows nominated for Best Musical get to perform a number during the broadcast. But don’t expect Mr. Beguelin to be involved in “The Prom’s” big act at the Tony’s.

“I’m staying way out of that,” he said.

The Tony Awards air live on Sunday, June 9, on CBS beginning at 8 p.m.

“The Prom” is nominated for seven Tony awards:

• Best Musical

• Best Book of a Musical by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin

• Best Original Score music by Matthew Sklar; lyrics by Chad Beguelin

• Best Direction of a musical, Casey Nicholaw

• Best Leading Actor in a Musical, Brooks Ashmanskas

• Best Leading Actress in a Musical, Caitlin Kinnunen and Beth Leavel