The Cher Show: Something You Have To See To Believe

From “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour” (1971-1974) to “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” (2018) singer-actress Cher has proven to be a positively unstoppable force. Now 72 years old, Cher is no stranger to flashy outfits, tabloid rumors, and, most recently, the wonders of Twitter communication. Though Cher was born into relative poverty and family dysfunction, she quickly paved her own career path, working her way up from a mere backup singer to TV star and pop icon. Given her action-packed career spanning over five decades, any summarization of Cher’s life is bound to be extravagant, and the latest is no exception. Recently, the Grammy and Oscar-winning “Goddess of Pop” has had her story told in “The Cher Show,” a sequin-heavy Broadway musical that opened in December 2018.

The show’s flamboyant opening sets the tone for the rest of the performance: celebrated Broadway actress Stephanie J. Block (Wicked, Little Miss Sunshine) rises from a trapdoor in the stage’s floor, clad in a tiny, blindingly shiny, black leotard. Playing Cher at the most current stage of her life, Block does not carry the show alone: she is part of a trio of actresses who each represent different phases of Cher’s career. Block is referred to as Star, the shy teen version of Cher. Micaela Diamond makes her professional debut as Babe, and Teal Wick (Wicked, Finding Neverland) plays Lady, representative of the sassy Cher of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

While all three title actresses deliver praise-worthy performances (a feat, considering what it takes to pull off a spot-on Cher impersonation), Block, above all, is a perfect embodiment of the eccentric icon. Clad in one leotard after another, not to mention a buoyant curly wig and likely a ton of makeup, Block’s theater experience shines through in a performance that, without knowing any better, audiences would be sure to mistake for Cher herself. In a perfect imitation of Cher’s low and sultry voice, Block sets the stage with “If I Could Turn Back Time,” and segues the story perfectly to Babe, the youngest of Cher’s incarnations. With a powerful singing voice, 19-year-old Diamond guides the audience through Cher’s (then Cherilyn Sarkisian) childhood, which includes her name change to Cher and marriage to Sonny Bono (played with impressive accuracy by Jarrod Spector).

While it’s not a common theatrical device, the choice to cast three performers to play one person has been seen before, but with far less positive reception. In this past season, “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” (2017-2018) employed the same strategy, but met little success. Critics called the “Summer” triplicate unnecessary, accusing it of contributing to the show’s lack of energy. What makes “The Cher Show” a cut above, however, is that the three Chers frequently appear and interact with each other onstage.

A memorable interaction among the Chers occurs when marking the rise of “The Sonny & Cher Show” (1971-1974), a comedy hour starring the then-folk duo Cher and Sonny Bono. Diamond plays off of Cher’s self-proclaimed shyness, and utters her attempt at a joke: “I’m a Taurus.” At this moment Wick, as Lady, announces that it’s time for her to take over as she seamlessly steps into Babe’s place. The musical is full of moments like this, and rather than feeling forced, Babe, Lady, and Star’s acknowledgments of one another only further highlight the wild ride that is Cher’s career.

When considering Broadway shows, “The Cher Show” is one that, above all, is reliant on extravagance. True to its namesake, there is never a moment that feels in any way dull. Helping the musical achieve Cher-level shine are the costumes of legendary designer Bob Mackie, whose talent lends itself to each of the show’s iconic and heavily ‘70s-influenced outfits. Mackie’s work is most memorably showcased near the end of the first act in a colorful parade of flashy costumes. While this seems like an odd way to close a first act, the performance’s energy found its way to the audience, and it only seemed natural. Critics might call the show over-the-top and campy, but in a strange way, all the sparkle, color, and overall excess are part of its irresistible charm.

With a score consisting solely of songs by one artist, Cher herself, “The Cher Show” is technically a jukebox musical, a classification that is not usually met with enthusiasm. Those not in favor of this style of show often complain that, instead of featuring songs that move the production along, jukebox musicals often feel jam-packed with an overload of a particular artist’s work. In this case, however, the production’s use of Cher’s extensive musical repertoire only makes it more appealing. Though not appearing chronologically, Cher’s songs are the backbone of the show, and further drive home every notable moment of the woman’s history.

One of the many hits featured in the musical, “Half-Breed,” a 1973 song inspired by Cher’s experiences as a half-Armenian woman, is sung early on in the show, as Babe brings to life Cher’s rocky childhood. Rather than being performed for the sake of meeting jukebox expectations, each song in the show is clearly selected to amplify different plot points. Though it was released in 1990, when Cher was 44, “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss),” is also sung by Babe, as she begins to form a relationship with Sonny. Acknowledging the lows of Cher’s career, Lady sings “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” as her marriage to Sonny begins to fall apart, while Sonny and husband number two, Gregg Allman (Matthew Hydzik), duet in “Dark Lady.”

Branching out from the world of music, “The Cher Show” also makes it known that Cher has had considerable success as an actress. In the second act, Babe reappears to mark Cher’s Broadway debut. This is a fitting moment of return, considering that “The Cher Show” is actress Diamond’s first Broadway show as well. Singing “The Beat Goes On,” an early hit of Sonny and Cher’s, Babe takes over as Cher transitions from stage to screen, where Star returns once more to claim an Oscar for her role in the 1983 film, “Moonstruck.”

The musical closes with the 1998 hit, “Believe,” a song begun by Star, which soon incorporates Lady, Babe, and the entire cast. The final number gives a nod to Cher’s current touring career, and pulls out all the stops, as if the rest of the show didn’t seem to have already done so. Yes, “The Cher Show” is over-the-top, flamboyant, and extravagant, but it is excessive without shame, a quality that, judging by audience reception, we could all use a little more of. The show is even approved by Cher herself, an acknowledgment that makes it crystal clear that, even after 50 years, we have yet to see the last of her.