"Mama if that's movin' up then I'm movin' out." If you're looking to see a Broadway-quality musical in Boston this spring, look no further: If you want to be "movin' up," then go see Movin' Out. Now, this is not a musical that most are used to. Actually, many people are very confused by the plot. But if you can get through those factors, the legendary Billy Joel music along with the amazing choreography will leave you dancing, singing and cheering for more.Many people who go to a musical expect there to be an orchestra in a pit that is obstructed from view and characters on stage who talk and sing, creating the plot. Movin' Out is not one of those musicals. As described in the playbill, Movin' Out is "part story, part ballet and part Broadway show sans dialogue." For Movin' Out there is no actual pit; instead there is a full band elevated at the back of the stage. In the middle of that band is the grand piano, where they sing and play lead piano for Billy Joel's music. The main stage is blank except for the wall that separates the band from the dancers. Embedded in this wall are colorful lights, which add to the excitement and mood throughout the night.

Movin' Out, playing at the Colonial Theater, creates a very intimate setting between the audience and the performers, which is a very important element to the play. Without the pit orchestra in the front, the audience is right in front of the stage. And those with front row seats get to see up close the amazing choreography of legend Twyla Tharp (Hair). Ballets aren't usually to choreographed to music by pop-icons such as Billy Joel, so the challenge of creating dancing and a storyline to rock-and-roll was a huge task, but Tharp passed with flying colors.

The biggest problem with the musical was the plot. Billy Joel's music mostly centers around his life, from his tumultuous teens and early twenties growing up on Long Island, through his marriage to supermodel Christie Brinkley and the pain of the subsequent divorce. But Tharp utilized two of Joel's songs, "Goodnight Saigon" and "Angry Young Man," which are directly related to the Vietnam War, and fashioned the other songs and plotline around Vietnam. This almost seems unfair to Joel, whose tremendous arsenal of music is being focused on a subject he sang very little about. It also makes the plot a little choppy as songs such as "We Didn't Start the Fire," which is actually a tribute to the entire history of Joel's life, is used in a scene where all of the male characters are going off to war.

Other than the Vietnam War aspect, the plot is very simple to follow. Tharp took the characters Brenda and Eddie from Joel's song, "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" and showed their lives after their relationship failed. She also used Tony, the character featured in the song, "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" and showed what happens after he "works in a grocery store, saving his pennies for someday." These characters are joined by James and Judy childhood friends whose lives are interrupted by the men going off to Vietnam. This traumatic event changes them all. Judy was supposed to marry James, but he was killed at war. Eddie, who blames himself for James' death, and is hurt after seeing Tony and Brenda together, falls into a life of drugs and nightmares. Tony-who has always been looking for love-and Brenda start a relationship only to have it become tougher once he comes home. When the distant, suffering friends find each other once again, their lives take a turn for the better.

Movin' Out made its greatest impression not with the plot, but with the dancing and music. Although most of Joel's songs were familiar to the audience, the songs were certainly seen in a different light in the way that they were portrayed in the musical. "Just the Way You Are" supplements the scene where James and Judy proclaim their love eternal. The very smooth, elegant and synchronized dancing from James and Judy complements the music. When their love ultimately isn't forever due to James' untimely death, the audience looks back on this song with sadness. Eddie's nightmares about the war and his early life are expressed through "Pressure," which creates an atmosphere of anxiety, as the very choppy, violent moves of the dancing accentuate his turbulent emotions. When Eddie finally attains grace and comes back from his drug addiction/nightmare-laden life, a medley of "River of Dreams," "Keeping the Faith" and "Only the Good Die Young" bring him back to the audience as both his dancing and the music become more and more exuberant.

Some of his most famous songs were unfortunately absent from this musical-including "Piano Man," "This is the Time to Remember" and "You May Be Right"-but rock legend Billy Joel had most of his tremendous repertoire extolled throughout Movin' Out. It is very unfortunate that the Vietnam War commentary had to dominate the night because everyone left singing Joel's songs, imitating dance moves and generally uplifted by the happy ending. The audience even got into the piano player singing "New York State of Mind" at the very end of the show: a true anomaly for a Boston crowd. At the end of the night, the audience left with a feeling of joy, best explained through lyrics from "Piano Man"-"Well, we're all in the mood for a melody, and you've got us feelin' all right.