Based on the real-life "crime of the century" drama depicted in the musical Ragtime, My Sweetheart's the Man in the Moon is as convoluted as the Michael Jackson case but far less entertaining. The accused in both trials, Jackson and Harry K. Thaw, are emotionally unstable men trapped in perpetual childhood; both are charged with monstrous crimes; and (spoiler ahead) both use their considerable money and influence to beat their raps. Only one, however, is the man with the moonwalk, while the other is a half-forgotten figure given a dissatisfying stage depiction in Don Nigro's play.

The action is set just after the turn of the 20th century, when theater was still considered a cesspool for sin[...]