Mame is a rare musical treat about a strong, free-spirited woman with a mind of her own – and even now, 42 years after its Broadway debut in 1966, it still has a refreshing, modern feel.

With book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee and great music and lyrics by Jerry Herman, the show is set in New York and focuses on the eccentric and life-affirming Mame Dennis, whose famous motto is ‘life is a banquet and most poor sons-of-bitches are starving to death’.

Spanning the Great Depression and World War II, the story centre’s on Mame’s relationship with her orphaned nephew, Patrick, who she is determined to introduce to her bohemian ways and protect from the bigoted and small-minded establishment.

But after losing her fortune in the 1929 stock market crash, Mame is forced by the trustees of her brother’s estate to send Patrick to an exclusive boys’ school, and try her hand unsuccessfully at a number of odd jobs, before an accidental meeting with a wealthy southern suitor.

With her slinky frame and husky vocal charm, Rhonda Burchmore is an elegant and captivating Mame, stamping her authority on the role early on in her first two numbers ‘Its Today’ and ‘Open a New Window’. There is something undeniably mesmerising about her, which is obviously linked to her height but also to her natural poise and commanding stage presence. Like Mame, this is a woman used to turning heads.

But Burchmore also works hard to bring out Mame’s underlying nature, particularly her indulgent yet deeply loving relationship with Patrick, played confidently and faultlessly by the young Thomas New.

Their duet ‘My Best Girl’ in Act 1, which occurs after Mame fails as the Moon Lady in an absurd musical revue, is a highlight, with Burchmore pacing the song beautifully and tenderly, and almost coaxing her co-star to follow her lead.

Another highlight is the pairing between Burchmore and Nicki Wendt, who plays Mame’s old friend and musical star Vera Charles. Wendt is fabulous as the bitchy, quick-witted Charles, making the most of every well-timed quip and droll retort. And together they do a great double act in the deliciously ironic, ‘Bosom Buddies’.

Yet despite her ability to belt out a good tune and mix it up with some fantastic footwork in ‘That’s How Young I Feel’, in Burchmore we do lose a little bit of Mame’s eccentric and oddball nature in favour of a more conventional, big-hearted diva. The character’s occasional vulnerability, which could add another dimension to the show, just doesn’t really come through.

Robert Grubb does a reasonable job as Mame’s wealthy southern husband, Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside, but lacks the dignified, slightly tongue-in-cheek presence that is really needed to nail the part.

Alex Rathgeber, direct from a role in Phantom on London’s West End, is spot-on as the grow-up Patrick, whose reprise of ‘My Best Girl’ is beautifully sung, showing off his pristine tenor voice But easily the stand-out performance of the night is Lara Mulcahy as Agnes Gooch, Patrick’s nanny and Mame’s secretary.

Mulcahy steels several scenes throughout the night with her delightfully physical portrayal but her version of ‘Gooch’s Song’, sung after the straight-laced nanny finally breaks loose and returns heavily pregnant, is a near-perfect comic sensation.

Director Gary Young and choreographer Andrew Hallsworth deliver a bright, colourful show, with a strong ensemble cast who shine throughout but particularly in the show-stopper Mame at the end of Act 1. And Orchestra Victoria do a great job under the baton of Peter Casey.

Designed better than most Production Company shows, Mame still lacks an overall visual coherence and you can’t help wondering whether a more stylised, less traditional approach is needed. Even so, lovers of Mame will enjoy seeing it on stage again, albeit briefly.