Checking the Status of Our American Dream

As the plot follows the intersecting fortunes of those three characters’ families, each seeking to redeem the country’s promise at a time of tumultuous change, old-fashioned musical-theater pleasures are very much on offer: a multitudinous cast clad in sumptuous costumes; riveting vocals undergirded by a 28-piece orchestra; a sprinkling of spectacle descending from above and rising from below. It works as rousing entertainment, full stop.