Desi Oakley (Eva Peron) and Carlos Valdes (Che) spar in the University of Michigan production of "Evita."

Peter Smith Photography

The mourning of Argentina’s masses near the beginning of “Evita” - now being staged by the University of Michigan's musical theater department - inevitably calls to mind the widespread grieving that took place earlier this year, when Ted Kennedy and Michael Jackson passed away.

And as strange as this pairing initially seems, it’s a fitting association. For Eva Peron, as Argentina’s outspoken first lady, operated at the highest levels of politics; and in her early life, she rose from poverty to become a famous performer. But even more than this, she was, like Jackson and Kennedy, both beloved and controversial, and thus left behind a highly complicated legacy.

“Evita,” with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, begins with Eva (Desi Oakley) as a 15-year-old peasant who hitches her star to a singer, Magaldi (Daniel Berryman), in order to get to Buenos Aires. Once there, she unabashedly sleeps her way to fame as a radio performer and actress until she meets Colonel Juan Peron (Leonard Navarro), a rising military and political star. As a team, they work to win the presidential election for Peron. Eva becomes a hero to the country’s poor, and although she aims to become her husband’s vice president, illness prevents her from going any further.

Not surprisingly, given the high quality of U-M’s musical theater department, the production is technically sound on all fronts; the student performers sound and look terrific. But even so, the first act somehow lacked fire on opening night, as exemplified by Laura Irion’s rendition of “Another Suitcase in Another Hall.” With a strong voice, Irion performed the song clearly and accurately, but what was missing was the palpable emotion - a young mistress’ trepidation at facing an uncertain future.

So while the first act has fine moments - Berryman has a wonderful time hamming it up on “On This Night of a Thousand Stars,” “Peron’s Last Flame” is well-choreographed and performed, and “A New Argentina” provides a dependably stirring close - it wasn’t until the second act that I felt emotionally plugged in.

This may be because “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” provided the first hint of vulnerability in Oakley’s Eva, and thus immediately made the character more sympathetic and complex. Before this point, Eva seemed merely calculating and fiercely ambitious; and while “Don’t Cry” may be an example of a manipulative actress - Eva, that is - pulling off the performance of a lifetime, the number nonetheless allows the audience to experience for themselves the woman’s seductive power.

Plus, Oakley’s clear, powerful vocals thereafter gained an emotional resonance that only increased as Eva’s fortunes rose and fell, making “Eva’s Final Broadcast” a devastating coda on opening night.

Carlos Valdes, as Che, does good work providing cynical narration while aping the gestures and actions of various characters. A revolutionary, he acts as a foil to Eva, as though he’s the externalization of the conscience she lacks.

Tony Cisek’s spare and evocative set pieces serve the show well, and Rob Murphy’s lighting design subtly, beautifully signals shifts in mood. Mark Esposito’s choreography consistently hits just the right note (though I’ll confess that “The Art of the Possible” never does much for me as a number, and this production didn’t alter that opinion); and Kasia Mrozewska’s costume choices are spot-on.

A couple of minor mic glitches happened on opening night, and the orchestra, while otherwise solid, suffered a couple of brief intonation issues in highly exposed moments in the score early on.

In the end, Linda Goodrich has directed the show with a sure hand - but a sure heart from the start would have vaulted this “Evita” into can’t-miss territory.

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.