HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO Broadway Previews — Page 7

KevinKlawitter said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Rapper/actor Ludacris has just hopped on as a co-producer."



As did Paula Abdul"



It reminds me of HLL when they started to add producers to keep the show afloat, and that was after it opened. Sorry but I don't see a bright future for Ohio

I saw this show this past Saturday and, unfortunately, I don’t think it’s very good. It’s frustrating because there’s such a rich foundation for a show, yet scene after scene it walks up to something interesting and then backs away or diffuses the tension off-stage and fills us in later (Mel’s conflict at work, Tommy’s driver’s license test, Caroline’s language exam, Caroline and Jessica’s fight, whatever the hell is going on with Drew’s parents). It’s like the show is afraid of conflict, but that’s where the real drama lies. Instead, we’re left with thinly sketched characters and very low stakes.

However, I think the biggest sin is the outsized focus on the Amigos. Why would the writers think any of us care about Ashley’s half baked Juilliard dilemma, and why is she given two songs about it (and, in a very bad look, is the recipient of an uplifting anthem in Act II)? The show would improve immediately by excising the character completely. Then there’s Samayoa, who I think is actively bad, as Dr. Amigo. His character decrees how much he doesn’t want the focus to be on him and yet the show often feels like it is very much about him (a whole scene devoted to an unsuccessful date; why?). The kids should be the stars.

A few bright spots: Liam Pierce is fantastic, Connor Tague is very charming, and “Getting Ready For the Dance” is genuinely effective. It just feels like such a missed opportunity.

While there is no denying How To Dance In Ohio has its heart in the right place, the show just didn’t really work for me. Yes, it’s an important story and the show has representation that Broadway hasn’t seen before, but that does not necessarily immediately equate a good show in my book.

First, I’ll give credit where credit is due… the seven main actors are truly wonderful and giving are great performances. I truly enjoyed getting to know all of their characters over the course of the show. Special shout out to Liam Pearce as Drew.

I’m not sure if it was Caesar Samoya’s acting or the character, but I couldn’t stand Amigo at all. He came across as slimy, fake, and untrustworthy from the get go to me. Amigo’s character is so so central to the plot, and to have him be so unlikable was problematic.

The score is SO one note with every song sounding pretty much exactly like the one that came before it. Definitely some weird pacing with the book as well. The second act works much better than the first. The first act covers a much wider time frame than the second (which only covers the one day leading up to and day of the dance). However, the first act was very slight on conflicts and plot development. I think this should easily could have been a tight 90-100 minutes with no intermission.

This is one of the rare cases with a show where I didn’t find the good to outweigh or the bad to outweigh the good... They both even each other out which in turn means the show is just rather pedestrian in most aspects I guess. As i said earlier, while I definitely respect the representation and themes portrayed in this show, I can’t say I found this to be a great show by any means.

I think this is going to struggle to find an audience. I don’t see the critics having a field day with this one by any means, but I can see them being politely dismissive of the show itself, which is not going to be enough to keep this running long.