‘How To Dance In Ohio’ To Close On Broadway

How to Dance in Ohio, the musical that made Broadway history by featuring a cast of seven autistic actors in its leading roles, will end its run at the Belasco Theatre on Sunday, February 11, producers announced.

When it closes, the musical, which got mixed reviews and never quite caught on with audiences, will have played 27 previews and 72 regular performances upon its closing. How to Dance in Ohio began previews on November 15 and officially opened December 19.

Produced by P3 Productions and Level Forward, is based on Alexandra Shiva’s 2015 HBO documentary of the same name, and features book and lyrics by Rebekah Greer Melocik, music by Jacob Yandura, choreography by Mayte Natalio, and direction by Sammi Cannold.

In the most recent weekly grosses available (for the week ending January 14), How to Dance took in a small $387,318, with attendance at just 63% of capacity at the Belasco.

The musical follows seven young autistic people who set about organizing a prom-like event for their support group. The production cast real-life autistic young adults in the lead roles, all making their Broadway debuts: Desmond Edwards, Amelia Fei, Madison Kopec, Liam Pearce, Imani Russell, Conor Tague and Ashley Wool. They were joined by Broadway veteran Caesar Samayoa and Cristina Sastre.

How To Dance in Ohio, which had its world premiere engagement at Syracuse Stage in the fall of 2022, has released an original Broadway cast album, which is available for download and streaming on all music platforms.

The musical is just the latest of several shows to announce a closing as Broadway readies for a very busy spring season of new productions. Most recently, both Shucked and Harmony posted closing notices.