Broadway show “The Prom” makes history with onstage lesbian wedding for crew member
Armelle Kay Harper and Jody Kay Smith exchanged vows as 1,000 audience members cheered
Lesbian-themed Broadway musical The Prom offered an incredibly special curtain call for audience members on Aug. 3 when a lesbian couple was married on stage.
The show, about four actors traveling to a conservative town after a lesbian high schooler is refused permission to bring her girlfriend to prom, is set to close on Aug. 11.
The cast and crew decided to bring some real-life joy to one of the final performances when crew member Armelle Kay Harper married her partner on stage — the first known instance of an on-stage wedding during a Broadway show.
Harper, a script coordinator for the show, was set to wed actress Jody Kay Smith (not affiliated with The Prom) in Smith’s hometown next month.
But after one of the show’s writers, Bob Martin, made a comment about marrying onstage, they realized the pro-LGBTQ and uplifting show was the perfect venue for their nuptials, the New York Times reports.
“There are so many shows where lesbians are secondary characters or the butt of the joke,” Harper told the Times. “We all love Fun Home, but it’s a drama. So The Prom is really unique in that it’s a celebration, and it’s funny without being at the expense of lesbians. It’s just so much joy.”
Martin was ordained online and, during Saturday’s curtain call, Harper and Smith exchanged vows in front of around 1,000 audience members, who cheered as they tied the knot.
today ended up not great but at least i witnessed a surprise wedding between two women at the prom musical pic.twitter.com/CaQhzrrsCW
— j | she-ra spoilers (@korrasatx) August 4, 2019
i literally picked the best night in the entire world to go to the prom, there was a literal WEDDING on stage after curtain call and it was the sweetest thing i’ve ever seen and now i can’t stop crying
— bailee ✨ (@xheybails) August 4, 2019
The couple met two years ago, after chatting for around 20 minutes on dating app Bumble.
“We’re both really witty people, and it’s hard to find someone who can keep up,” Harper told the Times. “But she really got me, and she made me laugh. Plus those blue eyes. What can you do? Gorgeous.”
Friends were initially surprised at how quickly the women’s relationship progressed — they were engaged after just 19 days — but their love for one another was evident when seeing them together.
“They’re almost like an old married couple already, and they’re not old,” Haley Tynes, a maid of honor at the ceremony, said.
Harper, who reportedly had an “incredibly homophobic” family environment growing up, said many of her family members would not be attending their planned ceremony next month. But that hasn’t held her back from pursuing married life.
“Even coming from that background, I’ve never felt a pinch of regret or shame,” Harper said. “Loving Jody is worth everything. And being myself is worth everything.”
Watch the ceremony below:
Read more:
Christian dressmaker refuses to serve lesbian couple, tells them to be heterosexual
Straight Pride organizer criticized by her gay son for planning ‘straight, white, Christian’ event
Ohio Republican blames mass shootings on gay marriage, trans people, and drag queens
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.