HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO to close on February 11

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 6:40pm

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0vDF35UomcbYVkCYX24Rz2Zngoj4Rr5A4emrWB8DzHf9sMgohfWhzAu1rMYdd4tTWl&id=100064967340843&mibextid=cr9u03

Updated On: 1/21/24 at 06:40 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 6:47pm

A shame. Unfortunately most of the new musicals this season won’t even make it 100 regular performances. 

[BdwyFan]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 6:50pm

It’s so sad and true.  People just want to see the brand name shows. Things that are familiar and easy etc. 

[BETTY22]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 6:53pm

Three of the new musicals that haven't open yet are seeking emergency loans. While the others have almost zero advance. 

It's rough out there without a star, big movie title or score full of pop hits.

 

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 6:53pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "A shame. Unfortunately most of the new musicals this season won’t even make it 100 regular performances."

Might it be a bit too early to say that most new musicals won’t reach the 100 performance mark? I mean, most of the new musicals that are opening this season haven’t even started previews yet. So, it’s hard to tell. Not to mention that there are some in the mix that are based on known properties (Water for Elephants, The Notebook and The Outsiders.) 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 6:54pm

At least this closing is finally confirmed. Was hearing Feb. 4, Feb. 11 & Feb. 18 as their last day. Surprised at the 11th though as the following week is a holiday weekend.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 6:54pm

Prices are so high, people need to know they’ll get bang for their buck. Be it in the form of celebrity, or spectacle. Quality is not relevant anymore.

[BdwyFan]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 6:59pm

Islander_fan said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "A shame. Unfortunately most of the new musicals this season won’t even make it 100 regular performances."

Might it be a bit too early to say that most new musicals won’t reach the 100 performance mark? I mean, most of the new musicals that are opening this season haven’t even started previews yet. So, it’s hard to tell. Not to mention that there are some in the mix that are based on known properties (Water for Elephants, The Notebook and The Outsiders.)"

Known properties? maybe?? But not commercial IMO.  People want to be guaranteed a good time. Or see a Star/Celebrity or something they can sing along to.  Sadly. 

[Kad]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 7:00pm

Quality is subjective and has never been a reliable measure for a show’s success, as we have seen in the lackluster original runs of many Sondheim shows or the lengthy runs of shows going back to Abie’s Irish Rose.   

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 7:05pm

Quality was never a guarantee of box office success, of course not, but it has never been less relevant than now. 

[Kad]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 7:14pm

Jay Lerner-Z said: "Quality was never a guarantee of box office success, of course not, but it has never been less relevant than now."

It depends on by whose assessment of quality you're going by. Broadway has never been a place where challenging art typically flourishes- its foundational root has always been entertainment foremost and while there are many exceptions, they often just prove the rule and are in the minority of shows produced over the last century. And generally, in prolonged periods of strife or hardship, audiences tend to seek out light entertainment.

But of course, How to Dance is not particularly challenging art nor was it particularly well received by critics or audiences. Sometimes a flop is just a flop and not a bellwether.

Updated On: 1/21/24 at 07:14 PM

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 7:18pm

The writing was on the wall, but it's still a shame. Hopefully this isn't the last we'll see of the cast, a lot of them are quite excellent.

[Wick3]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 7:28pm

I also thought it would close Presidents Day weekend. Perhaps another production is eyeing this season and wanted that theater? Or perhaps if more people bought tickets after the closing announcement they might extend an extra week?

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 7:30pm

True, Kad, true. I guess I just can’t miss a chance to rail against the Las Vegas/Disnification of Broadway. I do think even the very subject of OHIO is enough to make too many potential customers rule it out immediately.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 7:36pm

BETTY22 said: "It's rough out there without a star, big movie title or score full of pop hits.”

And even most of the movie titles fail - including this one. The films being adapted still need to resonate at least somewhat in our society. 

It still befuddles me that Tina and Ain’t Too Proud ended up flopping too coming out of the shutdown. 

 

 

Updated On: 1/21/24 at 07:36 PM

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 7:55pm

We can love Broadway, we can love the art. But we also need to acknowledge poor producing. Poor fans on the internet.  

Updated On: 1/21/24 at 07:55 PM

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 8:02pm

Kad said: "Quality is subjective and has never been a reliable measure for a show’s success, as we have seen in the lackluster original runs of many Sondheim shows or the lengthy runs of shows going back to Abie’s Irish Rose."

"I've danced in Ohio and I'm here"

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 8:03pm

To blame ticket prices seems odd to me when people are paying $150 or more to see a low budget production like Merrily next door. In fact I think this disgrace of a show lasted much longer than it should have and it probably was able to sell a ton of a tickets since it is next to Merrily from people who couldn't get a ticket to see the coveted show. The artwork for Ohio was also very well done, it's unfortunate the show didn't match the great artwork.

Updated On: 1/21/24 at 08:03 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 8:07pm

Merrily has star power. The high price of those tickets could use up the annual budget for some ticketbuyers, meaning they have no cash left to see anything else.

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 8:13pm

This was the worst musical I saw on Broadway since New York New York. The score was so bland and boring and beige. Every song sounded like it had the same key and tempo. Generic musical theatre awfulness. I’m also not really that into this style of musical. It’s all so mushy and sentimental it makes me sick. And predictable. There were a few moments in the show where I knew a certain line was coming. Like when the father with the beard was telling his daughter to go to the dance. “When your mother died” I knew that was coming. And it was like this throughout. Also the kids going to the dance at the end and walking downstage. “Please clap for us”. Terrible direction, writing, scenery, frankly everything. Good luck to them. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 8:19pm

I found it well-intentioned, but the problem is that the show was just aggressively generic. Between the book and the score, I left the theatre remembering nothing worth calling home about. Roughly 100 performances is more legs that I thought this had (especially when other recent status quo-challenging shows like Ain't No Mo and KPOP flopped hard and fast).

I took A LOT of issue with the doctor character from an ethical standpoint, since it seemed like, however well-intentioned his actions were, in the real world, he would've gotten a major censure or license revocation for his violation of HIPAA laws when he invited reporters in to a therapeutic session without consent and also meddled in the one patient's college selection process. I actually DM'ed Caesar Samayoa on Instagram after the show because I was curious about his perspective and he mentioned that this approach was to (paraphrasing) highlight the flaws of the well-intentioned neurotypical characters instead of the show placing the onus of responsibility/blame on the neurodivergent ones. The redemption arc we did disagree on because I found it too pat (a la Dear Evan Hansen), but to each their own.

Could there be something here in the future? Maybe. But there needs to be some major fine tuning before it gets a second chance. I can already see this show having a bleak future in licensing because you're going to have a LOT of neurotypicals playing these characters and, if the Sia monstrosity "Music" is any indication, that won't end well...

[emlo99]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 9:18pm

This is sad, but I am not personally sad about it. If that makes sense?

I noticed on the ticket site, many of the matinees are close to sold-out, but the evening shows are almost empty. Perhaps it’d have done well without the adult characters and instead produced as an autism-friendly musical at Vital Theatre where they also do Angelina Ballerina.

The show quality, along with some of the autistic singers, was not up to par with Broadway, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be worthwhile somewhere like Theatreworks USA or Missoula Children’s theatre.

Updated On: 1/21/24 at 09:18 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 11:03pm

ACL2006 said: "At least this closing is finally confirmed. Was hearing Feb. 4, Feb. 11 & Feb. 18 as their last day. Surprised at the 11th though as the following week is a holiday weekend."

One (or more) of the following could be a factor:

(a) the cash on hand will only get them through the 11th and running an extra week could result in further losses. Funds are held for closing costs, too.

(b) they lost money on MLK weekend so it's unlikely that President's Day would be any better.

(c) Shubert has another tenant ready to go and wants X weeks of previews before the Tony cutoff date.

Updated On: 1/21/24 at 11:03 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 11:18pm

The blessing in disguise for locals like myself is that it’s much easier than you think to snag lottery, rush, or even comp seats for most of the newer shows, which often struggle. When the spring comes, you can bet I’ll ramp up my daily entries, follow up with connections, and see what I can catch. Barring a huge spike in lottery prices, of course. 

 

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 11:20pm

it's amazing that it ever got onstage, so that's something.