The Cher Show
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Cititour.com Review
If your idea of a great Broadway show boils down to the three Gs – glitz, glamour and good music – then run out now and get a ticket to “The Cher Show” at the Neil Simon Theatre. Without question, this entertaining and often heartfelt new bio-musical about the 72-years-young megastar, slickly directed by Jason Moore, serves up all of these things in abundance.
Indeed; the show’s neon-filled mirror-heavy set by Christine Jones and Brett J. Bankas, magnificently lit by the great Kevin Adams, could probably fill Con Edison’s coffers for a decade; the seemingly hundreds of costumes by the inimitable Bob Mackie (portrayed onstage by Michael Beresse) are wondrous to behold; and, as for the music, book writer Rick Elice has miraculously managed to include most of Cher’s hit songs in these 2 ½ hours. True, if you’re a fan, you’ll go in humming the score; but I think almost everyone will also leave humming the score. (Full disclosure: I’m singing “Believe” as I’m writing this review.)
But perhaps the best reason to spend your money on this tuner is the chance to see Stephanie J. Block turn in a performance of a lifetime as one of three women sharing the title role. Amazingly, Block manages to sound almost identical to Cher without relying on cheesy mannerisms or outright imitation, both while singing and delivering dialogue. As one who has seen Cher in concert, it’s almost eerie how well she delivers the star’s no-nonsense patter, and her delivery of the put-down jokes she said on TV practically transported me back to the 1970s.
More importantly, Block consistently captures the essence of the seemingly super-strong “warrior goddess” who, through five decades of personal and professional ups and downs, never fully escapes from being the shy, scared and wounded little girl we see in the show’s earliest sequences.
In addition, Block proves to be a superb acting partner, most notably opposite the “younger” versions of Cher, played by Teal Wicks, who once again proves to be an impressive vocalist and actress, and newcomer Micaela Diamond, a triple-threat powerhouse who doesn’t quite manage to actually evoke Cher. (I don’t really think the three-women-one-role concept is all that necessary, but, at least, it works better here than it does in “Summer.”)
Block is also equally excellent interacting with the rest of the supporting cast: the invaluable Emily Skinner as Cher’s tart-tongued yet loving mother, Georgia; the superb, bewigged and surprisingly buff Jarrod Spector as Sonny Bono (the show’s second most complex role); Matthew Hydzik as Cher’s second husband, rocker Greg Allman; and Michael Campanyo as her one-time lover Rob Camilletti. In fact, I suspect a Tony Award may well end up in Block’s hands next June.
Sadly, not everything in “The Cher Show” is worthy of that trophy; Elice’s book, while sometimes effective, is a cut below the one he co-authored for “Jersey Boys.” Some scenes (such as the encounter between Cher and director Robert Altman) are not just clunky but cloying, and others rely far too much on bald-faced dialogue to make their points. And even given the challenges of covering so much territory, the fact that Cher’s two children, Chaz and Elijah, get no more than mere mentions can feel a bit jarring.
Meanwhile, the choreography by Tony winner Christopher Gattelli often feels surprisingly generic, although a tango-inspired number set to “Dark Lady,” led by the lithe Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, is worthy of the extended ovation it received. (The choreography for the finale, which covers the last two decades of Cher’s tours, is actually credited to seven different people.)
While “The Cher Show” is admittedly imperfect, much like many of the diamonds on nearby 47th Street, I think you’d have to have a heart of stone not to succumb to its many gifts.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://thechershowbroadway.com
Cast
Stephanie J. Block, Teal Wicks, Micaela Diamond, Jarrod Spector, Michael Berresse, Michael Campayno, Matthew Hydzik, Emily Skinner
Open/Close Dates
Opening 12/3/2018
Closing 8/18/2019
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 11/1/2018
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
877-250-2929
Theatre Info
Neil Simon Theatre
250 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
Map
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