IN a performance which gripped and mesmerised a packed Volunteer Hall on Monday night, Ruth Davidson breathed glorious life into the character of Eva Perón – the unknown actress from a provincial town in Argentina who went on to become the darling of her nation.

Her interpretation of the eponymous, flawed and beautiful heroine of Evita – Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s crowning theatrical achievement – was the stand-out of many stand-outs in Gala Opera’s latest production which concludes on Saturday.

And it emphatically franked the company’s thoroughly merited reputation for tackling – and triumphantly delivering – the most ambitious of musical projects.

The prolonged and heartfelt ovation accorded the large and all-aged cast at the end of an exhilarating two-act delight said it all.

In producer and musical director Jeff Thomson’s 25th year with the society, it was appropriate that Ruth – one of his former pupils from Earlston High – should steal the show, imbuing the title role with an intoxicating blend of ferocity and fragility.

The actress, who made her Galashiels debut in 2003, is totally convincing as Eva Duerte, the small time girl who, between 1934 and 1943, sleeps her way up the social ladder – via stints as a model, radio star and actress – and into the bed and heart of president-to-be Colonel Juan Perón.

It is a journey signposted by Ruth’s charisma and stage presence and fully exploited by the power and poignancy of her voice on This Night of a Thousand Stars, Buenos Aires and Goodnight And Thank You.

In a second act which begins with Perón’s 1946 inauguration, Eva – now with iconic status – renders Don’t Cry for Me Argentina in front of an adoring crowd. Ruth, like Eva, has the audience in the palm of her hands with a truly moving interpretation of the show’s most famous song.

Eva’s rise to ambassadorial status (Rainbow High) and saintly champion of the working classes (Santa Evita) is followed as quickly by her swift demise as cancer takes hold and her higher political ambitions are thwarted.

It is a tragic reversal of fortune sensitively conveyed, without self pity, by Ruth in her heartfelt You Must Love Me and her closing Lament.

Ruth Davidson’s tour de force is superbly supported by a company at the top of its game. Society president Ivor Lumsden, with a rich baritone worthy of any West End stage, is on top form as Perón who moves seamlessly from ruthless military man (The Art of the Possible) to loving husband (She is a Diamond).

His grief when Eva dies, aged just 33, is as palpable as his strident right-wing aspirations for his country.

The story of Evita is glued together by the omnipresent narrator Che who provides a sceptical, often sneering, commentary on Eva’s rise from humble beginnings to national treasure and Peron’s unshakeable belief that he, and he alone, knows what is best for his people.

Michael Hyslop is simply outstanding in this role, his polemic keeping the audience abreast of the political machinations which underpin the narrative.

It is a commanding performance from Michael – from his opening Oh What a Circus to his acerbic The Money Kept Rolling In.

Making a great comeback for the society after a break of eight years is Kirsty Cleland as the mistress summarily ousted by Perón when Eva comes on the scene.

Her magnificent rendition of Another Suitcase in Another Hall – a 1978 hit for Scottish songstress Barbara Dickson – brought the house down.

And Selkirk’s Craig Monks, in his first major role with the society, excels as Eva’s long-suffering first love Magaldi, the warm-hearted “tango singer”, whose warning about the pitfalls of fame and fortune (Eva, Beware of the City) falls on death ears.

The challenging tango dance routines, devised with great imagination by Marie McCullogh, are well executed and the chorus work is a treat throughout.

And, as ever, Jeff Thomson and his musicians bring out the best in a sweeping and varied musical score to ensure that Evita is, beyond any doubt, a “must see” show.

Cast Evita – Ruth Davidson; Che – Michael Hyslop; Peron – Ivor Lumsden; Magaldi – Craig Monks; Mistress – Kirsty Cleland; Eva’s mother – Lorraine Kemp; Eva’s brother – Clark Eaton Turner; The Admiral – Richard Jamieson.

Eva’s special choral group – Catharine Fletcher, Julia Noble, Lynsey Cullen, Rachel Falconer, Caroline Hardie and Sophie Farnish.

Dancers – Jan Baird, Kayley Turner, Kerry Waddell, Jill McGlasson, Emily Balderston, Jennifer Cook, Melissa Robertson and Amy Thomson.

Eva’s sisters – Jan Baird, Kayley Turner, Holly Nichol and Neve Clark.

The Military – Lewis Wilde, Andrew Cannon, Joseph Milligan, Ben Williams, Craig Monks, Mitchell Green, Clark Eaton Turner, Graeme Lilley, Richard Jamieson and Cory Wilson.

Aristocrats/workers – Carole Cameron, Colette Edie, Rebecca Frankland, Aimee Goodship, Angie Henney, Irene Hume, Suzy Hyslop, Barbara Johnston, Millie Knox, Catriona Lamb, Val Little, Dawn Lowes, Annabelle Lugton, Lauren Mackay, Eilidh Nichol, Lucy Robertson, Hannah Scott, Eve Sinclair, Ellie Thomson, Jess Thomson, Ev Watson, Ken Lamb and Alaistar Waddell.

Children – Sky Hume, Maddie Thomson, Catriona Moore, Olivia Dodds, Kirsty Falconer, Ailsa Clark, Lucymarie McEvoy, Olivia Lugton, Molly Darling, Aimee Richardson, Kiera McCall, Poppy Davidson, Matthew Wear, Ben Williams, Ben Foggin, Laughlan Saunders, Findlay Kohler, Callum Crooks, Josh Miller, Alasdair Jeffrey and Taylor Wallace.