A spirited, energetic but perhaps overly gimmicky musical. Some of the gimmicks work, and result in highly imaginative scenes. Other gimmicks (most of the "freeze-frame" tricks, for example) don't work, and simply seem unnecessary and distracting. Most of the songs aren't particularly memorable, and some dance numbers, although spectacularly staged, go on too long and sometimes start looking redundant. But this musical is distinguished by its surprising amounts of substance, which make it a lot more thoughtful than you might expect. Definitely worth seeing.
Review of Sweet Charity
