Theater Thursday: How to Dance in Ohio

We were given complimentary tickets to How to Dance in Ohio for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own. 

What: How to Dance in Ohio

Where: Belasco Theatre

             111 W. 44th St.

             New York, New York

Who: Recommended for Ages 6 and Up

How to Dance in Ohio is the story of seven autistic young adults preparing for a Spring formal, but there is so much more to this story than that. It is also a story of learning to navigate through life even when it's hard and even when you are perceived as different. In reality, however, differences are all in the eye of the beholder, and in fact, we all have our differences. 

If you hear the plot of this show and you think that it is something that you wouldn't want to see because you think it is depressing or you have this stereotype of someone who is autistic being extremely aggressive, uncommunicative, and/or unintelligent and you think it sounds incredibly boring and/or terribly exploitative than you are wrong on all counts. Autistic people are just like everybody else in that every one of them is different. Some may be aggressive, uncommunicative, or unintelligent but so could anybody else in the population who is not autistic. In fact, none of the characters in this show fit any of those descriptions, and they are all based on real people. They are played by autistic actors as well which is not only a historic first but also a new milestone in the new and constantly improving world of representation in casting. 

This is not just stunt casting. Each of these actors is perfectly suited to their roles and gives a terrific performance.  They are quite talented and will hopefully go on to many more successful roles tearing down stereotypes along the way. 

Overall, this is not a depressing show.  Rather, it is extremely uplifting and hopeful. It will leave you with a smile on your face, and once you see it, you will want to see it again.

And that's our view.  For more information about How to Dance in Ohio or to purchase tickets, visit howtodanceinohiomusical.com

Tune in Sunday for this week's Sunday Scoop. 

Photo credits: 

All How to Dance in Ohio production photos by Curtis Brown

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms.
If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matter.