Effective communication is one of the keys to a healthy relationship. In the real world, it’s done the old-fashioned way — by talking, or, in some cases now, text messaging. But in the theater universe, well, song and dance often play a more significant role.

In Vices: A Love Story, the Caldwell Theatre’s daring new musical, a ridiculously attractive young couple (Marcus Bellamy, Holly Shunkey) goes through the ups and downs all relationships inevitably do. The main difference: They don’t speak one word of dialogue during the rollercoaster ride. All their desires, frustrations, hopes, inner-most thoughts and vices, are beautifully, skillfully and, at times, humorously, conveyed through music and inventive dance routines.

Imagine So You Think You Can Dance: The Steamy Stage Version. Don’t be surprised if you need a cigarette after the show…even if you don’t smoke.

Created by Ilene Reid and Michael Heitzman, Vices is a sophisticatedly hip musical that boasts more passion and energy than 50 hopping Chihuahuas. The show also features a variety of music (pop, jazz, disco, R&B, classical ) as well as a tasty mix of dance styles — everything from modern ballet to ballroom to contemporary.

That you’re able to feel for and care about a couple (we don’t know their names) that never talks in words is a testament to the wonderful performances by Bellamy and Shunkey, Clive Cholerton’s sure-footed direction and AC Cuilla’s delightfully precise choreography. Bellamy and Shunkey ooze a raw sexuality, a simmering chemistry and a giddy playfulness that’s impossible to ignore. It doesn’t hurt that both dancers are — how you say? — off-the-charts hot and know how to use their finely tuned instruments for maximum effect. The light-footed Bellamy is especially adept at using props — office chairs, for instance — as unorthodox dance partners.

But Vices works so well because it’s a true ensemble piece in which everyone in the cast is allowed to shine. The four supporting players — Natalie Venetia Belcon, Carlos L. Encinias, Lara Janine and Leajato Amara Robinson — are magnificent. Standouts include Broadway vet Belcon (Rent, Avenue Q), who will move you close to tears with All the Money, a stirring ballad about a woman summoning the courage to walk out on a bad marriage and Julliard grad Robinson is mesmerizing during an a capella version of Some Like It, a scintillating number about sexual temptation.

Vices is the Caldwell’s first production under Cholerton, the company’s new artistic director. The show is obviously Cholerton’s attempt to his stamp on the company while theatrically expressing his vision for it. Vices won’t please everyone, but it is something different and should get theatergoers buzzing.

And smoking a few cigarettes in the lobby afterwards.

Vices: A Love Story
B+
Where: The Caldwell Theatre, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton
When: Through Aug. 2
Tickets: $38-$47.50
The verdict: A steamy and thoroughly engaging new musical that may leave you feeling a little hot and bothered.