“I came from the people, they need to adore me, so Christian Dior me from my head to my toes.” So sings Eva Peron in Rainbow High, one of the better songs in Evita, which features a higher than average number of unmemorable songs for an Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tom Rice musical.

It is the sentiment behind this song, and this line in particular, which gives Eva much of her beguiling quality: the girl born into a poor Argentinian family who moves to Buenos Aires to be an actress, meets a rising star of the military regime, becomes a much-loved first lady when he becomes president, wears jewells as many of her people remain in poverty, and dies at the tragically young age of 33.

The musical shows Eva as a social climber par excellence, who goes through lovers like they are going out of fashion before meeting Colonel Juan Peron. As his own star rises, her star rises dramatically more and the affection she is held by the people reaches so far that she is known as Santa Evita, a living saint.

So it is an interesting move to open Evita with the funeral of the titular star, but we find out just how she reached this adulation as Susie Griffin, our Eva last night, goes through hairstyles to denote the passing of the years and the climbing of the social steps, impressing with her warm smile, confident yet vulnerable.

By Eva’s side throughout is Che (Mark Powell), whose presence is not explained but is somebody who acts as a narrator to proceedings and never quite falls for Eva’s charm, I imagine sharing Lloyd Webber and Rice’s cynicism for Eva and her methods.

Don’t Cry For Me Argentina was performed well by Griffin, but for me it was the performance of Another Suitcase in Another Hall, in the 1997 film performed by Madonna but in the musical by Sasha Ransley as Peron’s mistress, that was the stand-out moment. It was a pitch-perfect rendition by an actress and singer who deserves bigger breaks than being a backing vocalist on Rick Astley’s world tour as the programme notes inform.

The reference to the 80s pop star is an intriguing one, because if a musical could be stuck in the decade that it was written, then it is Evita. That’s not to say that there are some enjoyable moments, but like shoulder pads, by Christian Dior or not, Evita belongs in a different era.

Evita is at the Bristol Hippodrome until July 2. Click here for more information.