Pop culture has given us the iconic Cher. Broadway is giving us 6 decades of her life
through three different “Chers” at the Neil Simon Theatre that commands years
of running. Tremendously energetic and
empathetic, you’ve got love it. Award
winners and drag queens will “kill” to get the outfits designed by Bob Mackie.
Curtains up for what sounds like an overture as we
see a logo variety of Chers that culminates into a vamp of If I Could Turn Back
Time. Star (Stephanie J. Block), the
eldest and of what are her three life stages, is dressed in her iconic outfit
with a black leather jacket. She sings and delivers a monologue to the
accompanying sailors regarding the past 30 years and earning her wings. She suddenly appears wearing wings.
Star introduces her guest stars, Lady (Teal Wicks) and
Babe (Micaela Diamond). Lady is Cher in
the mid-years if her career, while Babe is the beginning. The two wonder how Star has stayed so young
looking over the years. “Exercise. I even named my dog ‘6-miles’ so that I can
say I walk 6 miles everyday.” This is just the first of Cher’s wittiness.
Cherilyn Sarkisian Finds Her Voice – 1952 as Star
introduces her youngest self and blond haired Georgia Holt (Emily Skinner), her
mother. Complaint of Cher being called
“Half –Breed” because of her dark hair and Armenian father (not due to the much
thought American –Indian) and yes, the song.
Cherilyn is now referred to the role of “Babe”
and goes into the song, A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes.Story is that her father took a hike and left a note
as Georgia sings, You Better Sit Down, Kid, telling her that the song makes her
strong.
We now go into the 6 decades of Cher with a whole
load of songs and production numbers. Throughout the production the three Chers
will get together and give advice to one of them. Onto Babe meeting Sonny Bono (Jarrod Spector)
at a night club on Sunset Strip.
Sonny tells her, “Look, we got three things. A piano
with broken yes, each other, and a philosophy” and promising that they will
succeed within two years. Babe requests
a sewing machine and Sonny springs for it.
This is what must have started Cher’s iconic wardrobe.
Naming themselves “Sonny and Cher” they head for a
tv studio for Tops of the Pops in 1965 to sing, I Got You, Babe, the first of
many songs that he will write for her. They
get married. I have to inject that at this point Spector resembles Bono enough
to get away with it. As soon as he opened his vocal cords, the audience went
screaming with applause.
Since the years have progressed, we now see Lady
portraying Cher’s life as they introduce the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour. Star now enters to sing Vamp segueing into
viewing a multi-mirrored fitting room with racks and racks of gorgeous outfits
made by Bob Mackie portrayed by Michael Berresse. The real nine-time Emmy award winner Bob
Mackie IS the Costume Designer for The Cher Show. We now go back to Lady doing
the singing as she goes into Ain’t Nobody’s Business as a duet with Mackie (the
character).
We are introduced to Sonny and Cher’s offspring. They
are calling the child “Chaz” and you don’t get to know as to whether “the
child” is male or female. Lady is
complaining about not getting enough time to spend with Chaz. Bono has Cher
sign a contract, not realizing that he will own all of the business, even
though the title is Cher Enterprises.
Negativity in the family brings the duet to singing, Living In A House
Divided. This is also around the time
you’ll hear, Bang, Bang, He Shot Me Down.
Keep in mind that sometimes one, two or all three Chers will enter into
a song.
It is the discussion and protest of the contract and
Sonny’s bullying…”You want to go back to being that shy little nobody without
me standing next to you? Do you have any idea how lonely you’re going to
be?”….that takes her into Song For the Lonely and end of Act I.
Let me pause to give credit to the wonderfully
syncopated ensemble due to Director Jason Moore and Choreographer Christopher
Gattelli. Zane Mark gets the credit of
the dance music arrangements. Of course, the show wouldn’t have life if it
weren’t for the third genius…Rick Elice, who wrote the book. Total kudos for Daryl Waters who supervised
the music, orchestra and arrangements.
Then there is Christopher Jones and Brett J. Banakis who are responsible
for the set designs.
Back to the story where she first continues to
perform with Sonny on the Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour and divorces him. She then meets Gregg Altman (Matthew Hydzik),
falls in love, marries him and a second offspring, Elijah, comes into their
lives….but the relationship doesn’t last forever and Sonny comes back just to continue the Sonny and Cher Comedy
Hour with her.
Here is where myself and (apparently) the audience
considered the best production number in the show. A smoky voodoo dive and
Apache Dance depicting the tale of a gorgeous voodoo sorceress with men
surrounding her. The song is Dark Lady
sung by Sonny, Gregg and the male ensemble.
What makes this number and audience (stander-upper) is the dancer
portraying Dark Lady, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald.
You’ll understand when you see it all.
The show goes into Cher’s career with the movies, Silkwood,
Come Back to the Five and Dime, and Moonstruck for which Cher won an Academy
Award for the Best Actress. She purposely
uses the line “Snap out of it” in the show.
The beat goes on through years of ups and downs as
well as acknowledging the death of Sonny.
One huge production number fills the final minutes, each from one of
Cher’s “Final Tours.” Lady sings Strong
Enough and Babe sings Woman’s World in which lyrics say, “This is a woman’s
world/All the women in the world stand up/Come together now.” Microphone is handed to Star as she continues
by singing You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me.
Finale with the whole company singing, Do You Believe.
Now for my take on the Chers. All three showed enormous talent in singing
acting and dance moves. There are certain word pronunciations, facial
expressions and body movements that characterize Cher. If you turned away to listen, does each of
them get that particular sort of twangy sound as well? You call it when you see
the show. No doubt that Block was on
point with it all and rightly given the character name of “Star.” My recommendation is to see the show when she
has the lead that she commands.
Skinner is certainly worth some kudos in both the
vocals and portraying Cher’s mother. Yes, she does have more than one scene. Although
there doesn’t appear to be a credit in the Playbill, I think it is Skinner that
cameos Lucille Ball.
Since there is no list of numbers in the program,
I’ll “Cher” this with you in no order. The following are songs written by Sonny
Bono: Baby Don’t Go; Bang Bang; I Got You Babe; Little Man; The Beat Goes On;
and You Better Sit Down, Kid.
Various artists wrote: A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart
Makes; Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do; All I Ever Need Is You; Be My Baby;
Believe; Da Doo Ron Ron; Dark Lady; Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves; Half Breed;
Heart of Stone; I Found Someone; It Don’t Come Easy; I Like It Like It Like
That; If I Could Turn Back Time; Just Like Jesse James; Living In a House
Divided; Midnight Rider (written by Gregg Altman); Ramblin’ Man; Song For the
Lonely; Strong Enough; Take Me Home; The Shoop Shoop Song; The Way of Love;
Vamp; When the Money’s Gone; Woman’s World;
and You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me.
The Cher Show’s website will provide you with song
lists of each segment of her career, some not necessarily in the show itself
such as I Hope You Find It, which I believe she dedicated to Chaz after the
gender reassignment. I did notice that the baby blanket was blue and
white.
When it comes down to it, the message of Cher is about
women demonstrating strength; perfect for March…Women’s History Month. This is a show not to be missed as it’s “Cher”
enjoyment. www.thechershowbroadway.com
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