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!
Generically staged by Sammi Cannold, How to Dance in Ohio was clearly made with love and will touch some hearts—on the spectrum or not—but feels synthetic and patchy when not outright tacky. Even the triumphant final fête, in which our heroes get to strut their stuff, is overshadowed by a head-scratching design choice (sets by Robert Brill). Drew, tasked with organizing the “Second Chance Dance” in a day (!) unveils and hangs a jumbo disco ball which he somehow had time to decorate. The giant orb is festooned with mauve flowers and shiny heart-shaped balloons—and it bears an unfortunate resemblance to the CDC illustration of the novel coronavirus. I cringed, but maybe I’m looking at it all wrong. One person’s deadly pathogen is another’s fascinating pattern.
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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