Three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep joins the ensemble cast of Ryan Murphy's feature film adaptation of The Prom for Netflix. Now, the streamer has released a song from the film's soundtrack in which viewers can watch in awe as Streep tries her hand at rapping.
The Prom originated as a stage production co-written by Bob Martin and Chad Beguelin with music by Matthew Sklar. Based on a concept by Jack Viertel, the story follows Broadway stars Dee Dee Allen and Barry Glickman, who find their once glorious careers have stalled after their latest show becomes a major and expensive flop. However, the duo sees an opportunity to revive their public image upon hearing about the situation with a high school named high school student Emma Nolan, who has been banned from attending the prom with her girlfriend. Bringing along Angie Dickinson and Trent Oliver, two other actors in need of a career boost, the performers travel to Nolan's conservative hometown to offer support to help organize an event where she can truly celebrate who she is.
Murphy's adaptation of The Prom will feature Streep in the role of Dee Dee Allen alongside James Corden, Nicole Kidman, and Andrew Rannells as the diva's three cohorts. The Netflix film will feature a new version of the song titled "Wear Your Crown" in which Ariana DeBose and Jo Ellen Pellman take the lead. While it may difficult to tell, that is Streep's voice listeners hear rapping at the 1:50 mark. "Gotta wear your crown or your tiara/ Now is the time to bust out the mascara/ Who needs shade? There's nothing duller/ We living life in full technicolor/ But if your sparkle starts to fade/ Go out and start your own parade/ And if somebody starts in with new drama/ Just go high like Michelle Obama!," she sings.
Streep has a wealth of experience with musicals, going all the way back to the beginning of her career with projects including Broadway's Happy End. Notable films in which Streep sang include Ricki and the Flash, A Prairie Home Companion, and Florence Foster Jenkins, with the latter requiring her to learn how to sing off-pitch. However, Streep's most popular musicals are arguably Disney's adaptation of Into the Woods and the Mamma Mia films, jukebox musicals based on the 1999 Broadway production written around songs by ABBA.
Murphy has already experienced success with Netflix through the release of Ratched, a series starring Sarah Paulson as a younger Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. In October, Ratched ranked as one the biggest streaming hits alongside Netflix's Enola Holmes.
Netflix will be the home of Murphy's forthcoming projects for the foreseeable future. The filmmaker and writer, perhaps best known as a co-creator of the musical series Glee and American Horror Story, signed a $300 million development deal with Netflix.
The Prom is scheduled to be released on Netflix on December 11, 2020.
Source: Netflix/YouTube