This is not a very good musical. So much is lacking: the lead actor can't dance enough for the big production number, the lead actress can dance but is downright homely (there's a point in the script where she says she used to be the ugliest girl in such-and-such a town before Ray Walston turned her into a vamp, and one can't help but think, gosh, is this the best he could do? It makes the devil seem damn weak.) That young Tab Hunter is so pretty makes her uglier in comparison--just bad, bad, casting. (She no doubt looked leggy and good from a second balcony, but on screen--gah!) Most of the dancing is dull, shockingly enough to this Fossy choreography fan, until the big drunken production number. And the songs aren't good at all.<br /><br />What's better about it is that the plot (until the illogical ending) is an engaging baseball-Faust, Tab Hunter is sweet and adorable as Shoeless Joe, Ray Walston is as terrific as he always is, and the wardrobe is quite good.<br /><br />But since a major thrust of the plot is Lola's attempted seduction of Joe, and she's just so awfully homely, the plot is weakened. That leaves Ray Walston being devilish and Tab Hunter being aw-shucks cute--perhaps enough to support a straight comedy, but not nearly enough to support a musical-comedy.<br /><br />The same group of songwriters, etc. did Pajama Game, which is a much better musical, with a couple wonderful songs. Knowing this one had run for several years on Broadway, I had hoped for something as good as Pajama Game but was disappointed.