Theater review: ‘The Cher Show’ charms with character, courage, and plenty of costumes
As unapologetic, extravagant, and brash as the woman herself, “The Cher Show” stormed onto stage at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, and Attractions Magazine was invited to check it out.
With a 60-year-long career spanning music, theater, movies, and TV, the icon Cher rightfully sits in that echelon of stars who only need one name to identify them. But how well do her story, her music, and her presence translate to the stage? Read on to find out if indeed the beat does go on, or if I walked out of the theater wishing that I could turn back time.
‘The Cher Show’: Cher’s discography as a jukebox musical
“The Cher Show” (as the name might imply) tells a stylized version of Cher’s life story, showing many of the key moments and people from her life. As a jukebox musical, “The Cher Show” uses songs written by or famously performed by Cher throughout her career.
I’m not really a fan of jukebox musicals personally — their songs can often feel forced, with story being sacrificed to work the music in — but, as many of Cher’s songs are autobiographical in nature, they fit really neatly into place in the story of her life. Fans of Cher and pop music in general will recognize many of her hits which have become standards in and of themselves, such as “If I Could Turn Back Time,” “Believe,” and “I Got You, Babe.”
The cast of ‘The Cher Show’
The show is led by three actresses portraying different versions of Cher through her life and career, nicknamed “Star” (Morgan Scott), “Lady” (Catherin Ariale), and “Babe” (Ella Perez). The gimmick works well, giving Cher different versions of herself to talk to and confide in, and even affecting some poignant moments. For instance, we see Babe (the youngest version) discuss her dreams to be an actress in the beginning of the play and then toward the end when Star (the eldest version) is cast in Cher’s first Broadway show, she lets Babe instead take the stage. Later, Star even gives Babe her Academy Award, showing the fulfillment of her childhood dreams.
Thankfully, all three of these actresses are more than capable in their abilities, performing homages to Cher that feel genuine without straying into caricature (well, no more than Cher herself), capturing her unique voice and dazzling vocal abilities. Other standouts in the cast include Lorenzo Pugliese as the talented but often domineering Sonny Bono and Kristin Rose Kelleher in the dual roles of Cher’s mother Georgia Holt and Lucille Ball (perhaps a deep-cut reference to the fact that Georgia Holt herself once had a minor role on “I Love Lucy”).
The real star: the clothes
Technically, “The Cher Show” utilizes video screens to imply scene and location changes without going overboard on scenery. But, to paraphrase Cher herself, the real star of the technical elements are the clothes. The costumes that appear on stage (designed for the tour by legendary designer and character in the show, Bob Mackie) were mind-boggling in terms of authenticity to Cher’s actual outfits, elaborateness, and sheer volume of pieces.
At intermission, I joked with my theater companion that most of the tour’s truck space must have been taken up with costumes and, by the end, I found myself legitimately wondering how they moved around at all backstage amongst what must have been racks and racks and racks of clothes.
A pleasant surprise
Not being a fan of jukebox musicals and not being super familiar with Cher’s music, I will admit I came into this show without high expectation, but in the end, I found myself pleasantly surprised at “The Cher Show.” The talent of the leads, the undeniably catchy music, and the dizzying collection of costumes come together for an enjoyable evening of theater. The performance I saw was not without its technical hiccups and occasionally clunky lead-ins to songs, but these issues did little to detract from the overall experience.
Diehard fans of Cher especially will find a lot to love here, but even those theater fans with just a passing knowledge of her discography will find themselves getting wrapped up in her story and music.
Tickets for ‘The Cher Show’ in Orlando and other cities
“The Cher Show” is playing now through Nov. 17, 2024 at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Fla. before continuing its national tour. For tickets and more information visit the tour’s website or the Dr. Phillips page.
More Attractions Magazine stories:
Follow us:
No matter where you want to go, our trusted partner MEI-Travel will handle the planning so you can focus on the memories. They offer free vacation-planning services and have nearly 20 years of experience creating memorable vacations. Visit MEI-Travel for a fee-free, no-obligation quote today.
I congratulate, it seems magnificent idea to me is
Instead of criticising write the variants is better.