This gloomier inclination is more compelling; there’s a wrenching number toward the end of the first act when Mr. Blankenbuehler uses dance, in “Right This Way,” to suggest the psychological burdens these men carry. Swing borrows its beat from African-American musical styles, as Mr. Blankenbuehler acknowledged in a recent interview, and more than a million African-Americans served in World War II. Bringing in a significant African-American character might have derailed the narrative that Mr. Taylor and Mr. Oberacker constructed. At “Hamilton,” Mr. Blankenbuehler learned how diverse casting can galvanize familiar stories. Mr. Cott even makes high-waisted pants seem plausible.

Source: New York Times April 27, 2017 01:52 UTC