How to Dance in Ohio, based on a 2015 documentary about young adults on the autism spectrum who prepare for a spring formal organized by their Columbus, Ohio-based therapist/counselor, plays like an autism-focused version of the recent Broadway hit The Prom. There’s a welcome sense of inclusivity to the endeavor – up top, the cast points out cool-down spaces in the Belasco Theatre where patrons can go if they feel overstimulated – but the show sometimes struggles to overcome the conventionality of the storytelling. Jacob Yandura’s bouncy score leans heavily on pop and musical theater tropes – and shows more musical sophistication than you’d expect in a series of ensemble numbers that boast overlapping lyrical phrases from different singers and complicated, rich harmonies. When director Sammi Cannold keeps the kids front and center, How to Dance in Ohio comes alive with a sense of compassionate discovery.
My full review appears in the February/March 2024 issue of U.K.-based Musicals magazine.
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