Gypsy review

The part is up there with the greatest in musical theatre and White rises to the challenge well, capturing Rose’s brashness and brusqueness at first, then her desperation and despair. She sings superbly, too, providing a ferocious rendition of the show’s bruising and bitter final number, Rose’s Turn. White does not reach the same extremes of infectious ecstasy and exquisite agony as previous Roses have – the shadow of Imelda Staunton’s definitive 2015 turn is long – and she does not find the role’s savage sense of humour, but this is a professional, proficient performance nonetheless.

In fact, the same is true of Occhipinti’s entire show. It ticks all the right boxes, but never quite catches fire. Designer Liz Cooke’s rotating stage-within-a-stage set is smart but not spectacular. The songs are appealingly played, but never electrifyingly. And the supporting cast – Blythe Jandoo and Patricia Panther as sisters Louise and June, and Ben Stock as Rose’s humble, hard-working partner Herbie – are solid but not sensational.

Take the second half rendition of You Gotta Get a Gimmick, when Louise is inducted into the tricks of the burlesque trade by a trio of old hands: it is slick, but it should sparkle. Or take the ensuing return of Let Me Entertain You, reworked from child-friendly show tune into sexy striptease: it is galling, but it should be gut-wrenching.

Gypsy runs at Pitlochry, on and off, until September. Perhaps it will pick up some punch as it progresses. At present, it is a show to admire, rather than adore.