HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO Opening Night Critics’ Reviews- Page 2

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 9:06pm

Here's NYT

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

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 9:07pm

Mixed

https://ew.com/how-to-dance-in-ohio-review-broadway-musical-hbo-documentary-8413917

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 9:19pm

Deadline is mixed:

https://deadline.com/2023/12/how-to-dance-in-ohio-review-broadway-1235658895/

"Broadway’s First Autistic Cast Has All The Right Moves In A Musical That Sometimes Doesn’t"

 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 9:21pm

2/4 stars from the New York Post:

https://nypost.com/2023/12/10/entertainment/how-to-dance-in-ohio-review-musical-is-a-better-idea-than-show/

"But as groundbreaking as “How To Dance” is as an idea, its execution across the board does not match its admirable intentions."

 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 9:24pm

The Observer is mixed:

https://observer.com/2023/12/review-how-to-dance-in-ohio-welcomes-autistic-youth-under-the-disco-ball/

"Though clearly made with love, this musical adaptation of an HBO documentary about autistic people learning to dance tries to balance good intentions and razzle-dazzle will mixed results."

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 9:29pm

Theatermania is pretty positive...

 

https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-how-to-dance-in-ohio-is-a-game-changer-for-accessibility-on-broadway_1723629/?fbclid=IwAR3g_HxYCvEWpqkyzWYwoFitjboxixslBeJ-ShjqEJp5GcSNrFKo13nmZYs

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 10:10pm

DTLI Consensus: How to Dance in Ohio is diverse and authentic in its casting and representation, but artistically, it is not quite going places. 

5 positive, 5 mixed (including the NYT).

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/how-to-dance-in-ohio/

Updated On: 12/10/23 at 10:10 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 10:25pm

Well, at a minimum they can advertise "A MILESTONE, FEEL-GOOD MUSICAL" - NYT.

[Bobster159]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 10:31pm

Yeah. They've got something to work with in these, but it's all slightly damning with faint praise. These certainly aren't reviews that will save them. The NY Times does make a pretty good case for watching the documentary!

[emlo99]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 10:49pm

I'm glad to see the critics were gentle with the autistic actors, although the reviews about them also aren't glowing like, "You must see this show, they're so talented."

Theatremania's critique of the score and book, though:

"...hurt by a generic, bland score by Jacob Yandura, with otherwise forgettable lyrics from Yandura and Rebekah Greer Melocik." 

If I hadnt already seen it, I probably wouldn't go see it based on these reviews. This is disappointing to me because I hyped this show up so much to myself as an autistic person. Here's to this show paving the way for more autistic stories! I hope someday I can see a good one.

Updated On: 12/10/23 at 10:49 PM

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 12/10/23 at 10:52pm

How to dance at an opening night party with notices like that? 

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 12/11/23 at 12:25am

I think we are letting too many shows get a pass just because they are “earnest.” Two things can be true, and I think we forget that sometimes in the quest to be more inclusive. That shouldn’t be permission for mediocre theatre (which we see plenty of!), and that’s where I sit with this one. 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 12/11/23 at 1:56am

What a shame. I really liked the song they did at the Macy's Parade, and have gone back to watch it a couple of times, but every other song they've released has been really bland. Like everyone else, I wanted the show to succeed, because it seemed like it was doing a mitzvah in terms of its inclusion of neurodivergent voices in theatre, but this just doesn't look good.

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 12/11/23 at 6:04am

It's not being "inclusive" to put on a show about a certain group of people; and I doubt that this supposed overzealousness somehow blinded them to the musical shortcomings.  

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 12/11/23 at 10:11am

I think it's pretty clear that between Spamalot, this, and to an extent Purlie Victorious people on this board tend to be considerably more negative than critics and audiences at large.  I guess that's to be expected as the sample size is a niche of a niche, but it was more pronounced here (even really liking the show, mixed-positive was what I was pretty much expecting from critics).  I'm not trying to get into a fight, but there almost seemed like there was an effort to manufacture negative buzz, like that one person on the KPOP thread who claimed to know that the show would close before its opening night.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 12/11/23 at 10:48am

We really are the niche of a niche! Well said.

I wonder how many people really post on this board. Guessing 75-100. Is that too high or too low? 

[darquegk]

Posted: 12/11/23 at 11:09am

Maybe it also feels like a bit of a nothing burger in a season with HERE LIES LOVE, a really innovative and experimental show actually written by an openly neurodivergent artist and iconoclast.

[ParachuteBoy]

Posted: 12/11/23 at 1:39pm

Seems like most agree the score is the weaker aspect. And I agree completly. Building Momentum sounds just like Freeze Your Brain from Heathers. Im all for composers copying and stealing for inspiration but at least do it to make something good. 
 

bernstein said composers have to specifically steal the good things. 
 

I think it’s more inclusive to take this autistic centered show seriously. If we just said this is cute and we are too happy to critique it then it would be condescending. We are humanizing them and giving them the same critical lens that we do other shows because we believe the autistic musicals are worthy of constructive feedback. 
 

I felt the same after seeing the new Larissa Fasthorse show in Minneapolis. I am happy to celebrate the indigenous elements and all the structural change the team brought with the show to decolonize theatre. But I also did not think it was a great play nor did I love all the performances. 
 

I hope How to Dance in Ohio has a life after broadway. I’d love to see this done at neurodiverse theatre companies as opposed to like these watered down awkward productions of Disney jr shows. It just doesn’t fit. 

[Ensemble1671017357]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 1:28pm

 decolonize theatre.

What is "decolonize theatre"????

[emlo99]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 4:38pm

Ensemble1671017357 said: "decolonize theatre.

What is "decolonize theatre"????"

 

Each person has their own definition of what decolonizing means to them, but per one of Larissa Fasthorse’s interviews, it looks like part of her work is advocating for Native people to write and perform their own stories instead of non native people doing it, ie Disney romanticizing Pocahontas. For example, she talked about Tiger Lily being a bad example of Native representation. Quite like how I am disappointed in How To Dance in Ohio because two neurotypical people wrote the book and music, and they definitely didn’t do it as well as they could have if they had just had an autistic person write the book instead. Having an autistic consultant isn’t good enough, IMO.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 7:24pm

KevinKlawitter said: "I think it's pretty clear that betweenSpamalot, this, and to an extentPurlie Victoriouspeople on this board tend to be considerably more negative than critics and audiences at large. I guess that's to be expected as the sample size is a niche of a niche, but it was more pronounced here (even really liking the show, mixed-positive was what I was pretty much expecting from critics). I'm not trying to get into a fight, but there almost seemed like there was an effort to manufacture negative buzz, like that one person on theKPOPthread who claimed to know that the show would close before its opening night."

Published critics cannot be as harsh or blunt as anonymous posters on a message board. But the reviews here line up with what critics have been saying- that this is a well-meaning but weak show. So I'm not really sure what you're saying.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 10:01pm

Purlie Victorious? The buzz on that has been crazy positive. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 10:05pm

darquegk said: "Maybe it also feels like a bit of a nothing burger in a season with HERE LIES LOVE, a really innovative and experimental show actually written by an openly neurodivergent artist and iconoclast."

I think this is a really good point.

Sometimes a more subtle approach is better.

We've had many other musicals written/directed/produced by/starring neurodiverse people, and centering around characters who are neurodivergent. The difference, of course, is that those artists haven't been "out" (or weren't diagnosed), and the stories have been more subtextual.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 12/12/23 at 10:11pm

Losing momentum 

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 12/13/23 at 1:37pm

The messaging behind this $50 ticket initiative is so odd. Just got this email

 

"Help us build momentum to reach 50,000 audience members by the end of 2023! For a limited time, every day, select unsold seats for that day’s performance will be only $50 at the Box Office. This never-been-done-on-Broadway deal is first-come, first-served and applies to select unsold seats in the house!*"

this is a rush ticket, you are claiming to have invented a rush ticket....