The show: “Gypsy” at Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam

What makes it special?: It’s the first time the classic musical from Broadway’s Golden Age is being presented at the theater — which makes one wonder what took the 60-year-old theatre so long from presenting it? But rejoice, it’s finally here.

And…?: It’s very good. Is it a production that is revisionist or makes you see the show in a different way or offer new discoveries or performances that blow you away? Not really. But the show is presented and cast well, resulting in a satisfying audience experience. You don’t always need a gimmick.

What’s it about?: Really? Your Broadway fan card is now revoked. (Just kidding.) As any musical adicionado knows it’s the ultimate backstage musical about famed stripper Gypsy Rose Lee during the Depression years in vaudeville and eventually burlesque — but it’s really about her mother Rose, a force of nature that all other stage mothers are now measured against, either as a cautionary tale or an aspirational one.

Arthur Laurents’ terrific script tells an epic tale over time and travels, capturing the worlds of vaudeville and burlesque brilliantly as it lays the groundwork for the eventual emergence of Gypsy Rose Lee at the show’s end. But it’s really Rose’s show and any production rises or falls with that performance.

And here…?: Judy McLane makes for a solid Rose, definitely as a dynamo, but also making Rose a little bit sexy, a little (just a little) vulnerable, and always human. She also has the pipes to accomplish all the demands of the wide ranging score, and yes, she nails the landing, so to speak, with “Rose’s Turn,” the ultimate 11 o’clock number.

But what struck me most was the overall taste level of the production. You just knew you were in great and tasteful hands from the sight of Alexander Dodge’s period poster-filled set, to the casting of everyone in the production and especially the clarity of staging by Jenn Thompson. One could just lean back in your chair with the assurance you were going to see a polished, satisfying show that toggles between the extravagant and the real, the outlandish and the human, the silly and the traumatic. Thompson has a wonderful touch in the world of musicals creating natural moments, even out of some of the most absurd ones. (This is the first time the “Mr. Goldstone” number really worked for me.)

Philip Hernandez as Herbie, Laura Sky Herman as Dainty June, Cameron Blaker Miller and Baby Louise, Michael Starr as Tulsa — and especially Talia Suskauer as Louis— are all splendid. Emily Jewel Hodder’s manic and seemingly possessed Baby June was a hoot to remember.

And speaking of stand-outs, Valerie Wright, Romelda Teron Benjamin and Victoria Huston-Elem delightfully delivered in the show stopping “You Gotta Get a Gimmick” number.

The production is well sung, and listening to the June Styne-Stephen Sondheim score (and the Dan DeLange’s orchestrations) is a joy, Patricia Wilcox’s choreography was spot on and Paul Miller’s lighting always set just the right tone.

Who will like it?: Most any fan of the fabled show.

Who won’t?: Perhaps those looking for the re-invention of the wheel.

For the kids?: You bet, but be prepared for them to join an acting troupe.