Augustine and Walsh attack an inconsistent text with ambition and energy. It is rare to see a musical that is smart, but the direction and choreography of this production make it just that. The use of swings in the Coney Island scene provide a visual metaphor for the suburban front-porch-swing respectability for which Charity longs, and the choreography of a dance scene in which the women shake their breasts and the men perform pelvic thrusts, and then switch roles, provides a welcome gender-bender in a musical which at times seems dated. Subtle twists like these, along with a dance hall owner who sings in falsetto, belie thoughtful direction and a deep engagement with the text that produces a musical.
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