People don't usually go to see a Broadway show expecting great art. They go expecting great entertainment.

This is why Dreamgirls is a wonderful musical. Its symbolism and themes are obvious - even a little maudlin - but they are projected with an enthusiasm and sincerity that allows them to transcend normal limitations. Helium dreams are so inflated that not realizing them is a kind of fairy tale tragedy. Joy radiates from the stage like a heavenly blessing. Like all great Broadway musicals, Dreamgirls magnifies its characters' lives to such tremendous proportions that everyone in the audience can find a place in them.

You've got to be stuck in a cynical rut to not enjoy Dreamgirls. The actors are the main ingredient of the show's infectious spirit. The Dreamettes, Effie, Lorrell and Deena, played charmingly by Lynette G. DuPre, Kathi Ridley and Lyn MacDonald, are a rhythm and blues girl-group with dreams of becoming famous. DuPre is especially good as Effie, belting out tunes with the grainy bluster of Patti LaBelle.

Written by Tom Eyen and Henry Krieger and directed by David Thome, Dreamgirls begins in the early 1960s at a talent contest in New York City's heralded Apollo Theater. Curtis Taylor, a scamming smoothie played terrifically by Alton F. White, sees potential in the naive teenagers who call themselves the Dreamettes. He proceeds to bribe the M.C. to prevent the girls from winning the contest and then consoles them by booking the Dreamettes on a 10-week tour singing backup for Jimmy "Thunder" Early, a promising James Brown-styled performer played by Phillip Gilmore.

Gilmore is often hilarious as Jimmy, bringing a quirky vulnerability to his flashy, womanizing character. He often conjures up laughter with his insecure whining to his women and managers, mincing after them like a spoiled child.

Curtis wheels and deals relentlessly and eventually gets bookings for Jimmy and the Dreamettes in ritzy white clubs. But in order to make their act acceptable to the white audiences, Curtis forces Jimmy to tone down his frenzied dancing and pasteurize his gutsy material. Gone are the days of Jimmy's salacious growls and lurid sequined jackets - now he and the Dreamettes must lull their way through soggy, soulless pop ballads in drab white outfits.

But the money is rolling in and after the tour is over, Curtis seduces Jimmy to become his full-time client by providing him with a continual stream of high-paying gigs in bland white clubs. He also streamlines the Dreamettes, changing their name to the Dreams and making the beautiful Deena (played by MacDonald) the lead singer, while pushing the husky, siren-voiced Effie into the background. Curtis also gets involved with payola, bribing disc jockeys so the Dreams can compete with established acts already on the charts. Of course, the Dreams are completely unaware that this is going on. They think Curtis is merely an ambitious manager, not an unscrupulous huckster who will do anything for a buck.

The many location changes of the musical are engineered masterfully by the cast, moving an endless series of props briskly as elaborate backdrops are lowered to create a convincing new environment.

Eventually, Curtis squeezes Effie out of the group and replaces her with a skinny substitute. He also changes their name to "Deena Jones and the Dreams" cashing in on her beauty as much as possible.

But Curtis goes too far when he steals Effie's first solo song. He turns every devious trick possible to prevent her version of "One Night Only" from becoming a hit, while scheming determinedly to push Deena and the Dreams' version of the same song to the top of the charts.

Effie, her manager, brother/songwriter and lawyer confront Curtis and force him to back off. Deena, learning of Curtis' obsessive greed, decides to quit the group and pursue a movie career. And Jimmy rebels against the boring balladry Curtis has imposed on him by dropping his drawers on stage.

"You can't kill a man with soul!" he declares with his pants drooping around his ankles.

Good triumphs over evil and the original Dreamettes reunite for a final performance in New York, bringing the house down with a spirited performance.

This is Dreamgirls, a simple tale about the price of fame spiced with excellent performances, rousing R and B tunes and dazzling costumes. It leaves you with a smile on your face and a song in your heart. What more can you ask from a Broadway show?