This Saturday, everyone can go to The Prom.
Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness will host The Prom: Tonight Belongs to You, with performances by Janelle Monae and DJ Galantis as well as cameos by the cast of the film, streaming live at 8 p.m. Eastern Saturday on Netflix's YouTube channel.
"Prom is such a special event for most people, and I can't be more excited to be hosting The Prom: Tonight Belongs to You so we can build a prom for everyone," Van Ness said in a press release. "Everyone deserves to be celebrated, loved, and appreciated! So come join us and bring your Unruly Heart, and definitely your zazz hands!"
Prom director Ryan Murphy and stars Jo Ellen Pellman and Ariana DeBose will also further introduce the Unruly Hearts Initiative, born out of their collaboration on the film. Announced November 30 on Murphy's Instagram, the Unruly Hearts Initiative is for anyone who is driven to get help or inspired to be a good ally. The initiative connects young audiences with trusted organizations that advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and youth through resources for housing insecurity solutions, mental health, mentorship, and professional development.
The Prom, now available on Netflix, is set in a small Indiana town where the PTA cancels the high school prom rather than let a female student, Emma, bring her girlfriend to the event -- resulting in a group of has-been Broadway performers descending on the town to take up Emma's cause but also in hopes of reviving their careers. Unbeknownst to homophobic PTA leader Mrs. Green, it's her daughter, Alyssa, who Emma wants to take to prom.
The film stars Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, and Andrew Rannells as the Broadway types, Kerry Washington as Mrs. Green, and out actresses Pellman and DeBose as Emma and Alyssa (see an interview with Washington, Pellman, and DeBose here). It's based on the hit 2018 Broadway musical. Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin, the authors of the book of the play, adapted it for the screen; Beguelin also wrote the lyrics, and Matthew Sklar composed the music.
