Stephanie J. Block in The Cher Show

Review of The Cher Show on Broadway

Stanford Friedman
Stanford Friedman

Take three parts Cher, stir in equal parts Sonny Bono, Bob Mackie and Gregg Allman, set it on fire and stand back. In the chemistry class that is The Cher Show at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre, this brazen experiment in jukebox musicality renders unstable results, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The production radiates, providing thrills when you least expect it, and setting off a slew of emotional triggers for those who grew up with Cher on their radio, television and lunch box. If it is bad form to tear up a little at a perfectly rendered "Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves," it simply cannot be helped. But at the same time, the work suffers from some weak transitions, stilted dialog and a general crisis of identity. The problem is not so much that Cher is played by three different actors, but rather that writer Rick Elice cannot decide if that approach is supposed to be funny or poignant. Playing it both ways, one never knows which way the show will veer. Of course, unpredictability is an entertaining factor in its own right. Thus, with a book that barely knows what it's doing, balanced by a director, a costumer and a star who very much do, The Cher Show is easily the most exciting new Broadway musical of the season.

The sharing of Cher's id and ego breaks out as follows. There is early Cher (Micaela Diamond), learning from her strong mother, Georgia (a fine Emily Skinner), while yearning for a father figure. There is star-is-born Cher (Teal Wicks), molded by her love-hate relationship with Sonny Bono (Jarrod Spector, with abs the real Sonny could only have dreamed of.) And, most of all, there is late career Cher (Stephanie J. Block), providing narration, perspective, classic hits and an infinite number of costume changes. Ms. Block is transcendent, losing herself in the role, channeling Cher's throaty vocals and comic timing without ever approaching mockery. If there is not a lot of chemistry between her and Mr. Spector, the same could be said of Sonny and Cher in general. But, when she hooks up with Gregg Allman (Matthew Hydzik), the sparks fly. Sporting Allman's famous, flowing blond hair (Goldilocks and the three Chers!), Hydzik performs a quick, masterful set of "Midnight Rider" and "Ramblin' Man" to provide the audience with his rock credentials.

Ms. Diamond entertains with a boppy variation of "The Beat Goes On". And Ms. Wicks nicely capture's Cher's singing style, although not her way with a quip. When her Cher tosses a series of short jokes at Sonny, it comes off more cruelly than it should. Mr. Elice, who also wrote the book for Jersey Boys, throws the trio together or switches out one for another with little method to the madness. His way with exposition sometimes falters (Georgia: You owe the government 278-thousand dollars in back taxes! Cher: Mom, we know.), and his approach to some major life events are mystifying. Chaz Bono arrives as a swaddle in Cher's arms with zero fanfare then vanishes just as quickly. And Cher's earnest grief runs up against a dark comic treatment of Sonny's death ("Stupid tree, I forgot to duck."), effectively undercutting the moment.

Twice during the night, the production interrupts itself for the greater good. In Act One, where one might imagine a dream ballet encapsulating the singer's life, we are treated instead to a full on Bob Mackie fashion show. Remarkably built chorus members, wearing even more remarkably built gowns from the master designer, parade around for parade's sake. And in Act Two, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald emerges from the ensemble and dances to "Dark Lady," the Gypsy fortune teller number that is perhaps Cher's most ridiculous hit. But Ms. Fitzgerald stops the show with her graceful athleticism, displaying contortionist moves not seen since Anita Morris tied herself into knots in Nine, circa 1982. Amid the myriad costume changes, director Jason Moore somehow manages a rapid fire pace, especially in the second act as Ms. Block power shifts into full diva mode, supported by a charged up dance ensemble and, of course, the undeniable magnetism of the Cher songbook.

(Photo by Joan Marcus)


What the popular press says...

"There's a fine line between tacky and spectacular. In creating costumes for Cher over the years — costumes that often tell the story of a shy woman emerging triumphant from a chrysalis — the designer Bob Mackie has kept on the right side of the line by making sure the level of craft supports the extravagance of the gesture. Sadly that's not the case with The Cher Show, the maddening mishmash of a new musical that opened on Monday at the Neil Simon Theater. Except for the dozens of eye-popping outfits Mr. Mackie gorgeously recreates for the occasion, it's all gesture, no craft: dramatically threadbare and surprisingly unrevealing."
Jesse Green for New York Times

"Like Cher herself, the musical has the virtue of never seeming to take itself too seriously: It's a delivery system for fabulousness, right up to its Mamma Mia!-like finale, and as such it succeeds. It falls a bit shy, but it's strong enough."
Adam Feldman for Time Out New York

"There's no denying that Cher is a superstar of the first order. She has that special something that defies comparison. It even takes three women to portray her in the spirited jukebox musical about her life. And yet one of those performers is so incomparably talented herself, she emerges as a superstar in her own right. That's Stephanie J. Block as the Cher character known as Star. The others are called Babe and Lady, depicting Cher at various stages of her life."
Roma Torre for NY1

"The indestructible Cher managed to escape with her dignity intact earlier this year from the Greek Island shipwreck that was Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, thanks largely to her powerful shield of self-irony. That armor, along with her talent and charisma, has cocooned the decades-defying supernova throughout her epic career, even helping her make the embarrassing sketch writing on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, back in the early '70s, pass for funny. Her characteristic sleepy-eyed drollery is all over The Cher Show, not least in the delectable star turn of Stephanie J. Block, one of three performers playing the Goddess of the Eternal Farewell Tour at various ages."
David Rooney for Hollywood Reporter

"Keeping the show afloat are the strength of its combined Chers, who each give us just enough of the low vocal treble to evoke the star while hanging on to her own individuality. Diamond highlights the freshness, excitement and naiveté of youth; Wicks, the deadpan humor and personal conflicts of mid-career Cher. Broadway veteran Block showcases seasoned assuredness and chops as the older, wiser Cher, who finally becomes a woman who finds the courage to live up to her empowering persona."
Frank Rizzo for Variety

External links to full reviews from popular press...

New York Times - Time Out - NY1 - Hollywood Reporter - Variety

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