How to Dance in Ohio (musical)

The musical focuses on a group of autistic young adults preparing to attend a Spring Formal dance organized by their counselor, Dr. Amigo.

Directed by Sammi Cannold, with choreography by Mayte Natalio, it made its world premiere at Syracuse Stage in September 2022 and later the show transferred to Broadway in November 2023.

We meet Caroline, Remy, Drew, Tommy, Mel, Jessica and Marideth, autistic young adults as they go through their daily routine.

In the end, Marideth doesn't share and leaves the group early, but she surprises and pleases her dad by telling him she wants to return.

Meanwhile, Mel has a misunderstanding at work with their manager and becomes overwhelmed, and Drew struggles with the social aspects of asking Marideth to the dance ("Waves and Wires").

Ashley finally gathers up the courage to tell Dr. Amigo that she does not want to return to dance school after her ankle injury heals and instead to work at the center.

However, he fires her from Amigo Family Counseling, fearing that he is holding her back by letting her use the center as a place to hide instead of fighting for her dreams ("Terminally Human").

The group find out the ableist article and are hurt, with some deciding to not attend the dance in protest ("Two Steps Backward").

Remy turns this into an opportunity to do his first livestream on his channel to improve conversations about disability and educate his audience about ableism ("Nothing At All").

Ashley unexpectedly shows up at the dance and announces that she has retired as a dancer and sets clear boundaries with her father.

The cast featured Wilson Jermaine Heredia as Dr. Emilio Amigo, Desmond Luis Edwards as Remy, Amelia Fei as Caroline, Madison Kopec as Marideth, Liam Pearce as Drew, Imani Russell as Mel, Conor Tague as Tommy, Ashley Wool as Jessica, Haven Burton as Terry, Darlesia Cearcy as Johanna, Carlos L. Encinias as Kurt/Rick/Hawkins, Nick Gaswirth as Michael/Derrick, Melina Kalomas as Amy/Shauna, and Marina Pires as Ashley Amigo.

[5] Previews began on November 15, 2023, and officially opened on December 10, 2023, at the Belasco Theatre, with Paula Abdul and Ludacris joining the producing team led by P3 Productions and entertainment mini-studio Level Forward.

[8][9] The show opened to mixed to positive reviews, with critics praising the representation being showcased with the casting of the seven leads, as well as the performances and script.

[12] The songs "Under Control", "Getting Ready for the Dance", "So Much in Common", and "Building Momentum" had previously been released as a September 2023 EP.