What would happen if the no-you-can’t mentality that created the dancing kids back in the days of <em>Footloose</em> took place in a society where social media could spread the word of cloak to a group of repressed-by-the-machine players in the big world?

Hold onto your degrees of separation and get ready to pop up from the recliner to join in with the big stars from <em>The Prom</em>.

No, won’t find Kevin Bacon popping up in this musical directed by Ryan Murphy from a screenplay by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin. How about Meryl Streep as the big star who’s found her fame falling in failed shows, along with James Corden? You want Nicole Kidman joining them? Andrew Rannells as a former teen TV star? In the back woods town of Indiana, we find Keegan-Michael Key as the school principal on the side of the kids and Kerry Washington as a mother who just says no. Joanna Pullman and Ariana DeBose play students who’d like to go to the prom together.

Then the town folk get riled up about that thought and call it off.

Word gets to the big theater people and they decide to go to Indiana to protest.

All the characters carry baggage, more than great wardrobes for the great musical scenes.

They must address themselves and each other before the world can come together in any way to make a difference.

It’s fun and it carries a message.

Everybody cut, everybody cut …