If you found yourself enthralled by Bill T. Jones's choreography for "Spring Awakening," let me just say, you ain't seen nothing yet! “Fela!,” the very original musical about the life of powerhouse Nigerian musician and activist Fela Kuti, is as much about Fela's inspired artistry as Jones's own powers of creativity. And while it still needs some work, the strong visceral appeal of "Fela" and its knockout lead performance is guaranteed to strike a most responsive chord.

Besides choreographing, Jones co-conceived, co-wrote and directed, and has found a unique musical language to tell Fela's moving story. Incorporating Fela's trademark Afro-beat rhythms with a loose narrative and free-form dance, we are transported into his turbulent homeland - a world marked by extreme highs and lows, from applause to persecution.

As Fela, Sahr Ngaujah, playing a giant of a man, is himself an impressive life force. He seems to embody not only Fela's intense magnetism but also his musical versatility. An accomplished singer, dancer, saxophonist and drummer, Ngaujah has that rare combination of talent and charisma that leaps right out at you to say "a star is born."

Jones's book, written with Jim Lewis, is best in Act One with its generous mix of pointed humor and history. A renowned musician first and activist second, Fela's music was his weapon against the repressive Nigerian government. Arrested more than 200 times, he was beaten, tortured, and spent long stretches in prison. Ultimately, his mother, a pioneering activist in her own right, was murdered by army soldiers in a raid on Fela's home.

And yet he stayed. His contribution to music, his country and his people is enormous. It's said that when he died of AIDS at age 58, more than a million people attended his funeral. But it is a tribute to the splendid collaboration here that Fela Kuti is brought to life so stirringly. The show works on so many levels and whether you appreciate it as a concert featuring the incomparable Antibalas musicians or simply for the dance lessons provided by a sensational ensemble, Fela is a winner!

But it's not perfect. At more than 2.5 hours it needs cutting and the more serious-toned second act gets muddy. Still, we have to be grateful that this impassioned musical allows Fela's tremendous spirit to live on.