Experience something remarkable for the whole family! How to Dance in Ohio is a “joyful and uplifting new musical” (Time Out New York) exploring the universal need to connect and the courage it takes to step out into the world. Based on a true story, this “feel-good milestone” (The New York Times) follows a group of young adults and their families navigating change and preparing for a spring formal dance—a rite of passage that breaks open their daily routines in Columbus, Ohio. Starring seven autistic actors, How to Dance in Ohio is “an exuberant coming-of-age musical comedy with a superb cast” (The Wall Street Journal). Don’t miss “Broadway’s most original new musical” (The Daily Beast) this holiday season!
But good intentions alone, alas, do not a compelling musical make. The intentions are good, the core performances are good (and in some cases better than that), and the audience is likely to sit there rooting for the success of the characters in their quest to attend a prom-like dance in Ohio. On the other side of the ledger, though, is a score that is little more than functional (with exceptions as hereinafter noted), and a book that devolves into flimsy musical comedy style. The central performers earn our admiration, and the benefit of any doubts we might have; but How to Dance in Ohio offers only moderate entertainment, and moderate entertainment is unlikely to prove strong enough to attract sufficient audiences to get through the long cold winter.
Directed with sensitivity by Sammi Cannold, How to Dance in Ohio is an underdog itself: a modest production of an original musical that originated in Syracuse, New York, and—like another sincerely inspirational audience-pleaser, Come From Away—rose on its own merits, without big stars, hit songs or well-known pop-culture IP. “Going places / I am going places / There are places I need to be,” sing the actors in the opening number. “But most of the spaces / That I want to get to / Were not designed for me.” Whether it was designed for them or not, they’ve made their own space on Broadway now, and proved that they belong.
Digital Lottery:
Price: $35
Where: https://rush.telecharge.com/
When: The lottery will open at 12 AM one day before the performance and close at 3 PM. Winners are drawn at 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Winners will be notified by email shortly after each drawing and have five hours to claim and purchase tickets online. Seat locations and number of tickets awarded by the lottery are subject to availability, and some lottery seats may be partially obstructed.
| 2023 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical | Rebekah Greer Melocik |
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Liam Pearce |
| 2024 | Drama Desk Awards | Special Award | Authentic Autistic Representation Team |
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