The charismatic singer/actor/dancer tackles 10 songs in the 1950s-set musical "Memphis." She plays Felicia Farrell, a Tennessean whose career is stymied by a climate that elevates white singers such as Elvis to stardom for appropriating the songs and stylings of Black artists.

She gets help from a white radio DJ/possible love interest named Huey (Matt Riehle) but, in a show that's weirdly placid when you consider the conflicts it could be addressing, "Memphis" turns on whether Huey will sell out or stand by his love of Black rhythm-and-blues artists. It's that old story: Boy Meets Music. Boy Loves Music. Boy Might Steal Music.

Boheme has seemed like a musical theater star since her vivid supporting role in the Guthrie Theater's 2018 "West Side Story," and "Memphis" proves there's no "seem" about it. She sings the heck out of her numbers, which range from a torch song to a Supremes-style banger, and brings nuance to the underwritten role of Felicia.

There's plenty for her character to be frustrated about, much of which the show sidesteps, but the occasional hesitations and doubts Boheme gives Felicia suggest a woman accustomed to the idea that she has a lot more to give than the world will allow.

Quick question: Why isn't "Memphis" about Felicia? The protagonist, arguably, is Huey, and that feels odd in a musical that means to address the way white artists appropriated Black culture. It also feels strange for the show to strain for depth by mentioning, for instance, lynching — a topic it has no interest in engaging with.

"Memphis" seems unsure whether it wants to be a feel-good show such as "Hairspray," with a bit of social commentary artfully woven in, or something tougher. It's on surer ground when it sticks with the former.

The book moves swiftly and amusingly. Leah Nelson's choreography is inventive. The on-stage band is aces. And the boppy songs by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro approximate "Gee Whiz," "Hold On! I'm Comin'" and others that made Memphis' Stax Records a powerhouse in the 1960s. (Where's the Stax jukebox musical?)

Although the show has difficulty delineating its characters, the upside is moments when someone who has lurked in the background steps into the spotlight to dazzle us with a song, like Rudolph Searles III with a rave-up called "Big Love," Rodney Patrick Fair with "Scratch My Itch" and Emily Madigan with the first act's closer, "Say a Prayer."

They may not make much sense in context — Madigan plays one of those cliched characters who hasn't spoken for years but suddenly belts like they've been taking voice lessons all along — but when the singing is this dynamic, who cares?

'Memphis'
Who: By David Bryan and Joe DiPietro. Directed by Aimee K. Bryant.
When: 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends May 15.
Where: Artistry, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd., Bloomington.
Protocol: Masks required.
Tickets: $15-$47, artistrymn.org