HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO Opening Night Critics’ Reviews

Opening on Sunday, December 10, and based on the Peabody-award-winning HBO documentary, How to Dance in Ohio is a heart-filled new musical exploring the need to connect and the courage it takes to step out into the world. At a group counseling center in Columbus, Ohio, seven autistic young adults prepare for a spring formal dance–a rite of passage that breaks open their routines and sets off hilarious and heartbreaking encounters with love, stress, excitement, and independence. How to Dance in Ohio is a story about people standing on the cusp of the next phase of their lives, facing their hopes and fears, ready to make a very big first move…and dance.

Haven't they been heavily papering all thru previews?   

$50?!

I’d go again for 15.

 

Gee, a simple statement is being dramatic?  Just because SOME shows have to do it, doesn't mean it can't be mentioned.

dramamama611 said: "Haven't they been heavily papering all thru previews?"

Yes.

 

I think it is possible for thoughtful critics to commend the intention, be positive about what works, and offer constructive feedback on where things fell short.

Wishing the best to everyone involved for tonight’s opening. They deserve to find their audience and I hope some good reviews help them. 

bwayphreak234 said: " While the representation and themes in the show are great, that does not immediately equate an inherently good show or give the show a free pass from being critically analyzed."

I think it's also a question of representation of what? I've seen both the documentary and musical and didn't think the musical did a great job representing the challenges and personalities of the three young women who were the center of the doc. 

For example, in the documentary, for the most part, people in the program weren't able to ask each other out, without the therapist taking them both aside and basically feeding them lines. Having the kids in the musical able to ask each other out unsupervised, I thought minimized what a huge hurdle the dance represented to the group.

Also in the musical, I thought the kids were more upbeat compared to the doc, where many of the people were considerably more frustrated, argumentative and less empathetic because of issues reading other people. 

I'm not saying people with autism can't be cute and cuddly, I have a two-year-old daughter with autism who is exactly that. However, I wasn't recognizing the individuals profiled in the documentary in the tone of the musical.   

I only found three out of the seven autistic actors to be three-dimensional. I don't know if that's because they're better at acting or if the writing serves their stories better, but Imani Russell, Liam Pearce, and Conor Tague added depth to their characters I didnt see in the others. I do think perhaps the girls were just not written as well? The frustration and fear we see in the documentary is watered down into worrying if a boy likes them or not.

What time should we expect reviews to start rolling in?

9pm

Here's NYT

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/10/theater/how-to-dance-in-ohio-review.html