HOYLE TENENBAUMS The boys of Fiorello! sneak to the back room.

Photo: Lara Goetsch

The exclamation point has gotten a bad rap. Its musical career began humbly in the 1910s and ’20s with shows like Lady, Be Good! and Oh, Kay! It got its big break with Oklahoma!, then hit its stride in the golden age of musicals, with Hello, Dolly!; Oliver!; and, in its most prominent dual role, I Do! I Do! It would later venture into the avant-garde with Oh! Calcutta! But in recent years the exclamation point has sold its soul, attempting to revive its career by way of “ironic” cameos with the likes of Reefer Madness! and The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!), where it served as shorthand for the sparkly, jazz-hands sincerity that had fallen out of fashion.

Two years ago, however, TimeLine did much to rehabilitate the exclamation point’s image with its irony-free revival of Fiorello!, the 1959 musical about New York mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia and his righteous battles against Tammany Hall corruption. Fiorello! does exactly what its exclamation point suggests, imbuing a worthy story with a hunk of cheese and a hefty dose of heart. Save for a few cast substitutions, this remount duplicates the ’06 production right down to the plucky performances of Powers and Finnegan as LaGuardia and his devoted gal Friday. Between the muscle-bound celebration of the good side of American politics and Doug Peck’s impeccable music direction of Bock and Harnick’s infectious score, the exclamation point is proudly earned.