Virgil "Lil' O" Gadson, Karine Plantadit and Company in After Midnight
(Photo by Matthew Murphy)

It may be called After Midnight, but the new musical revue that’s just opened on Broadway could just have easily taken its title from Duke Ellington’s “Daybreak Express,” performed by a big band dubbed The Jazz at Lincoln Center All-Stars as if their lives depended on it. This show conceived by Jack Viertel--originally presented at City Center a couple of seasons back under the title Cotton Club Parade—celebrates the glory days of that legendary Harlem nightspot with such unflagging energy and exhilaration that it’s guaranteed to send you out of the theater with a smile on your face. It’s such a potent dose of theatrical anti-depressant that a prescription should be required instead of a ticket.

Directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle (Finian’s Rainbow, Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway), the 90-minute show pays tribute to Ellington’s years at the club during the Prohibition era. It features songs by him and such famous contemporaries as Harold Arlen, Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields and others, as well as judiciously selected text by the African-American poet Langston Hughes.

For this open-ended Broadway run, the cast has been augmented by a couple of ringers. Dule Hill--who gained television fame with The West Wing and Psych but has solid musical theater credentials including Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk and The Tap Dance Kid--is the smooth M.C. And, representing the first in a series of guest stars, American Idol winner/Broadway star (The Color Purple) Fantasia Barrino is spotlighted in several numbers including “Stormy Weather and “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.”

The twenty-five performers and the orchestra hand-picked by JALC leader Wynton Marsalis deliver more than two dozen numbers providing the perfect mixture of songs, instrumentals and dance routines. Besides Barrino’s standout turns, the vocal highlights are provided by Adriane Lenox’s caustic renditions of “Women Be Wise” and “Go Back Where You Stayed last Night.”

The dancers are simply sublime, from the quintet executing tight unison moves while keeping their arms ramrod stiff in “Peckin” to Julius “iGlide Chisom and Virgil “Lil’ O” Gadson’s fearsome face-off in “Hottentot” to Jared Grimes’ ferocious tapping on “Tap Mathematician” to Karine Plantadit’s sultry “Black and Tan Fantasy.” The terrific orchestra is given its chance to shine on such numbers as “Braggin’ in Brass” and the finale, “Rockin’ in Rhythm.”

A genial presence, Hill is not quite up to the level of the other performers, although he delivers a charming rendition of “I’ve Got the World on a String.”

While John Lee Beatty’s set is merely serviceable, the costumes by Isabel Toledo, who designed Michelle Obama’s famous dress for her husband’s 2009 inauguration ceremony, are simply dazzling.

In the tradition of the original Cotton Club’s “Celebrity Nights,” the production is cannily presenting a series of guest stars during the run. The first, and most exciting, is k.d. lang (2/11/14-3/9/14), followed by Toni Braxton and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds (3/18/14-3/30/14). Fortunately for them, After Midnight is so deliciously entertaining that repeat visits won’t be a problem.

Brooks Atkinson Theatre, 256 W. 47th St. 877-250-2929. www.Ticketmaster.com