Ruggiero and Schweikardt previously worked together in 2007 on Goodspeed's memorable revival of '1776,' and Mr. (What a good idea to have him sing the first verse of 'Ol' Man River' in an intimate, almost conversational way!) The choral singing is thrillingly bold, and Noah Racey, the choreographer, uses the shallow stage so resourcefully that you'd think it was three times as deep. Top honors go to the warm and affecting Magnolia of Sarah Uriarte Berry, with the mahogany-voiced Mr. In addition to being fine actors, everyone in the cast can sing, not just well enough but outstandingly. If you're familiar with the original 1927 stage version of 'Show Boat,' you may well feel that some of the cuts are too deep-the first act moves very quickly-but my guess is that most modern-day viewers will be wholly content with what remains. Kern's 'Ah Still Suits Me' (which was written for the movie) and opening the second act with a scene that takes place on the boat instead of in Chicago. Taking James Whale's elegant 1936 film version as his point of departure, he's cut the running time by a half-hour, interpolating Mr. Ruggiero has skillfully trimmed the score and streamlined the book with an eye toward making 'Show Boat' more practical to produce. No sooner do you see Joe (David Aron Damane) polishing the brass rails of the balcony than you surrender happily to the illusion, and from then on you know you're in the best of hands.

Ruggiero has taken maximum advantage of that serendipitous fact by staging 'Show Boat' in such a way as to make you feel as though you're actually on board the Cotton Blossom. Not only does it overlook the Connecticut River, but the interior is a dead ringer for the inside of a turn-of-the-century show boat, and Mr. Moreover, this 'Show Boat' benefits immeasurably from being performed in Goodspeed's century-old 398-seat auditorium. The cast is superior, the direction and choreography excitingly immediate, and Michael Schweikardt's compact yet rich-looking sets deserve a prize for sheer ingenuity. Rob Ruggiero's heart-lifting new revival succeeds in shoehorning 'Show Boat' onto a very small stage without compromising its expansive spirit in any way. Now Goodspeed Musicals has triumphantly solved the 'Show Boat' problem.

Goodspeed opera house 2009 season