Opening on Broadway later this year, “How to Dance in Ohio,” a touching new musical about a group of autistic youth preparing for a spring dance, features seven autistic performers in the lead roles.
The musical is based on a 2015 documentary from filmmaker Alexandra Shiva that followed participants in a social skills therapy program for people on the autism spectrum; the musical is also set in a therapy program, and it tells the story of young adults preparing for a dance that they hope will help them deal with some of the challenges they face navigating social interactions.
The musical had a previous run last year at Syracuse Stage in central New York; the production schedule was cut short with Covid cases among the cast and crew. The analysis of the show in The Post-Standard, a Syracuse newspaper, headlined it “The musical you’ll talk about for the rest of your life” and called it “exciting, surprising, celebratory.”
Casting is not complete, but several actors are involved making their Broadway debuts: Desmond Edwards, Amelia Fei, Madison Kopec, Liam Pearce, Imani Russell, Conor Tague and Ashley Wool. Others on the bill so far include Haven Burton and Darlesia Cearcy.
“How to Dance in Ohio” features book and lyrics by Rebekah Greer Melocik and music by Jacob Yandura; it was directed by Sammi Cannold and choreographed by Mayte Natalio. Famed director and producer Hal Prince was initially attached to the project; he died in 2019.
The musical is produced by a company called P3 Productions, directed by Ben Holtzman, Sammy Lopez and Fiona Howe Rudin. It was capitalized at up to $15.5 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The show will begin previews on Nov. 15 and opens on December 10 at the Belasco Theater.