This has been a month of revisiting beloved musicals. First it was Porchlight’s Ain’t Misbehavin’, which offered a smoldering take on the beloved Fats Waller revue. I followed this with The Hypocrites Into the Woods, a brave production that frustrated as much as it fascinated.

And now: Gypsy — a show I’ve seen probably more than any other, ranging from the recent Broadway revival with the ferocious Patti LuPone (which I saw when it was at New York’s City Center) to a charmingly clunky community theatre production in Highland Park.

My most recent Gypsy prior to ChiShakes’ was Drury Lane’s highly professional, yet passionless, production, which featured a perfectly satisfying (and very well-sung) lead performance in Klea Blackhurst as “Mama” Rose — the uncompromising stage mother who’s the driving force in this musical fable about burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee

After being blown away by Gary Griffin’s Follies and Sunday in the Park with George, I looked forward to this Gypsy with great anticipation. I was ready for Griffin and team to peel back the layers and give us an emotionally resonant experience unlike anything I’ve seen before.

Sadly, this Gypsy settles somewhere in the grey middle.

What’s most frustrating is all the elements were at hand to make this a success, starting with the casting of Canadian stage vet Louise Pitre as Rose. Pitre has found a career playing tragic and tough women who’ve battled against the odds, including Edith Piaf and Fantine. She also earned a Tony nomination as the independent single mother Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia. (Read my recent interview with Ms. Pitre here.)

Pitre has all the potential to make for a compelling Rose. She’s gritty, charming and earthy. She prowls the stage like a tiger and bellows out a laugh — she’s a good-time-gal Rose.

However, despite all that, she never feels fully in control.

Rose is someone who’s always 10 steps ahead. Every cell in her body is focused on realizing her dream (be it misdirected or not): to make her daughter a star.

Yet Pitre, who seemed to be battling extreme vocal difficulty with the brassy Jule Styne/Stephen Sondheim score on press night, comes off as someone on the defense vs. the offense. In short: this Rose doesn’t have command. Which, to me, is essential.

This is particularly frustrating when I think of all the more than capable Chicago actresses who were passed over for an out-of-town experiment.

But it’s not just Rose that’s the issue: Griffin’s direction, which includes a few interesting scene changes, suffers from a lack of drive. Take for example a pivotal scene late in Act 2 where, following years of pushing down his rage, the good-natured Herbie (a lost-at-sea Keith Kupferer) stands up to Rose. Pitre, sitting, has her back to the audience while Herbie very passively asserts he’s walking out. If I wasn’t already nodding off, I would have missed the confrontation entirely.

A moment that should chill us in its emotional intensity simply slips by.

But all is not lost: there are some bright spots to celebrate. The 14 piece orchestra blasts the joint with brassy new arrangements (by music director Rick Fox), including a very well-played overture (though, the wailing trumpet solo has oddly been cut). Jessica Rush ranks among the top three Louise’s I’ve seen, and, despite Griffin’s clunky direction which isn’t helped by ChiShake’s thrust stage, she nails the tricky strip sequence, which requires an actress, in a span of less than 10 minutes, to show Louise’s rapid ascent from fumbling tomboy to the sparkling creation that is Gypsy Rose Lee. And, as is usually the case, the trio of “Gotta Have a Gimmick” strippers steal the show. Particularly Chicago favorite Barbara Robertson, who in just a few short scenes, offers up a Tessie Tura with more grit and drive than any other moment in this ultimately lackluster effort.

“Gypsy” plays through March 23 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. More info here >