I recently got an opportunity to check out The Awesome 80's Prom in New York City. Billed as a "blast-from-the-past party in the style of Tony 'n Tina's Wedding", from what I knew, it was some sort of off-Broadway show in which audience members are actually prom guests who interact with the cast at the "Big Dance". With my desperate desire to try something new (and a fondness for anything involving a dancefloor), I was psyched. I threw on a skinny tie and some hot vintage red ankle boots, rounded up a small posse of fellow party people, and was off. At the 80's Prom, the cast proved to be as enthusiastic as I anticipated: I got to play air-guitar with the foxy Rebel, did the "Molly Ringwald" with the Drama Queen, and even got reprimanded by the school's Jewish bitch (though I don't think that was part of the performance). My gang of four had a swell time, but admittedly, none of us are wallflowers and we made most of our own fun, a lot of which was attributed to two facts: 1) We got in for free 2) We smuggled in a bottle of Hennessy. First off, there was very little plot; it was pretty much just an 80's dance party with costumed characters roaming around with the odd interruption of a performance by, say, the MC Hammer guy (it was not unlike an afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese's, but instead of there being a 6' fall mouse there was a 6' tall geek). And with an actual sticker price of $50 per ticket, I'd expected to walk away with a little more than just a pair of plastic wrap-around shades (if what you want is a retro dance party, head a few blocks south to Culture Club where the music goes all night at 1/3 the price). Then after shelling out those greenbacks to get your back through the front door, there was the coatcheck ($3 per item), the bar ($9 for a generic well drink in a plastic cup), and the prom photo ($3 for a Polaroid). My group left asking, "$50 for THAT?" So of course, since I've done my share of quasi pro DJing and party-planning, all of this got me to thinking of how I'd have done things differently. The initial idea for The Awesome 80's Prom is inventive and right in step with all of the inescapable 80's nostalgia these days. But there are a lot of things that could be improved upon, things that would make for a great Prom Party regardless of whether you threw one at Webster Hall or your own basement (or rec room!). And since real Prom Night is just around the corner, we thought there was no better time than the present to start planning one.
The Music. This is THE most important element of a Prom Party (or any party, for that matter) and the part of The Awesome 80's Prom that needed the most improvement. With the DJ spinning songs that have long reached the saturation point like "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "I Can't Fight This Feeling", and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" (the worst song ever recorded), it was one eyeball-rolling tune after another (and in the case of that last one, vomit-inducing). Interestingly, the 80's Prom was clearly inspired by flicks like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club and yet John Hughes would have NEVER put a track from Bon Jovi or Rick Springfield in any of his movies. Where was the New Order? The Cars? There wasn't even any Madonna or Duran Duran! Gag me. For the most part, the music at your party should be GOOD, not CHEESY. Sure the 80's was chock full of novelty hits ("Walk Like an Egyptian", "I'm Turning Japanese", "One Night in Bangkok"...need I go on?) but there were actually a lot of quality tunes as well.
Adam Ant, the Go-Go's, Michael and Janet, Prince, the Beastie Boys, Psychedelic Furs...be creative with the music. Diversity is key as well since no one wants to hear the same genre all night (New Wave, hip hop, rock, and R&B all flourished at this time). Throw in a few one-hit-wonders for good measure (because it's always fun to bounce around to "Mickey") but several hours of nothing but Cheese Whiz is really not good for your cholesterol.

The Photos. You've gotta have photographic documentation of your party, right? So instead of having just a roving photographer walking around with a camera (as there was at the 80's Prom), how much more fun would it be to do the whole prom portrait thing? You know what I'm talking about: the goofy flower-strewn arched canopy or tinsel curtain and balloons backdrop . It's a prom staple. Settings are pretty easy to construct and the photos will be better (read: hilarious) for your effort. For more ideas, check out the fabulous book Prom Night: The Best Night of Your Life (Chronicle Books) which is dedicated solely to the art (or lack thereof) of the prom photo.

The Theme. Yeah yeah, we know, 80's prom is the theme. But the 80's stretched over 10 years so why not take it one step further? Like, instead of an 80's prom, have a Jersey Prom where there is a contest for "Worst Dressed Couple" or "Most Likely to Kill Ozone Due to Overuse of Hairspray". A Footloose shindig could be fun with lots of frilly prairie prom dresses and a dance contest for the best Kevin Bacon impersonation. Or you could step outside the 80's box and have you guests come dressed in bloody formalwear à la Carrie. Just make sure to tell invitees not to use real pig's blood because, you know, ech. Other prom-related flicks to check out: Pretty in Pink, Prom Night, American Pie, The Girl Next Door, Never Been Kissed, She's All That, The Adventures of Sebastian Cole, Mean Girls.