Do you believe in life after watching The Cher Show? Honestly I felt like I had died and gone to heaven. And Stephanie J Block was waiting on the other side to accept her Tonty.
This past week I had the pleasure to see The Cher Show at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago. Now I’m officially a big fan of Cher.
In the show, there are three Chers --- played by Stephanie J Block, Teal Wicks, and Micaela Diamond --- who tell the story of renowned singer Cher’s life. The three Chers stepped into their costumes and became Cher, with the little mannerisms and other aspects that were ‘Cheresque’. The whole cast is amazingly talented; they all have this energy that brings the show together. The show had a call and response factor with how the audience reacted to the humor, sadness, and music of the show.
Stephanie J Block, who plays Star, is a powerhouse and an amazing actress who seems to wear her heart on her sleeve. Stephanie never fails to impress me with her love and passion for every role she does. Her characterization of Cher is raw, and can be seen the best during the second act in the show. In the second act, Cher sings the Disney classic “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from Cinderella. It’s a song that I know is close to Stephanie as well as myself. After the performance, I took to social media to ask her a question about the song.
TBV: Stephanie how full circle is Cher? I couldn’t help but think of the clip you played during your concert of your daughter singing “A Dream Is a Wish Your Hart Makes”. Now you get to sing it every night.
SJB: Vivi learning that as her first song is one of the signs that led me to say yes to this incredible part/show
Teal Wicks, who plays Lady, was new to me before I saw The Cher Show. She was a wonderful actress who has an amazing voice. Her characterization was great, and she got the comedic parts between Cher and Sonny.
Micaela Diamond, who plays Babe, is new to the stage and will be making her Broadway debut with The Cher Show. She was a great actress and had a beautiful voice. Her characterizations were a bit more tense than others, and I think in some of the scenes she could let loose a little more.
The dancing in The Cher Show was different than what I've seen in other Broadway shows, because it embodied the time period of the Cher Show life. The dancing during “The Beat Goes On” was incredible; they featured one dancer who was lifted, turned, and spun about by the whole ensemble.
My biggest issue wasn’t a show issue, it was the acoustics and sound in the Oriental Theatre. I sat second row house right. I was pretty close to the orchestra and because of that, a lot of the time, the orchestra was too loud for the sound system. The voices were blurred and distorted because the volume levels were off. It sounded like I should have been a good five or so rows farther back in the theatre to get the right equilibrium of sound.
Still, the show needs some work before Broadway.
There were a couple times I noticed myself drifting off and thinking about other things during the show. There were a few parts (usually the smaller scenes between songs) that seemed to go slower than others. I found that the story, though it was somewhat in chronological order, jumped around a little too much. I would get confused in the storyline until one of the Chers came in to narrate.
My favorite part of the show was seeing the amazing costumes Bob Mackie designed for Cher. There were enough sequins and sparkles to cover all of Chicago, and more. For the Bob Mackie fans, there is a mini fashion show of all of his most famous works seen on Cher. They are incredible!
I thought it was so interesting how the writers took Cher’s songs and made them a part of the story. “Different Kind of Love Song” was sung by all of the men who hurt Cher throughout her life, rather than being the typical upbeat pop song. “Believe” was turned into a gorgeous ballad, and “Half-Breed” was turned into a mother’s words to her daughter. I also loved the mini concert the audience after bows, when the whole cast came out to sing “Believe."
Another unique part of the performance was the use of a tv show crew throughout. It is after all “The Cher Show,” so they make it look like they are shooting a television show about Cher’s life. The use of technology and live feed throughout was smart, it added to the storyline and helped with characterization. The set itself was just as over the top but also very simplistic. It was really just two walls that had moving panels that would move in and out. A few chairs and a white piano created the scenes in Vegas, with a small platform or two. The panels on the two walls were full of LED lights that shined and sparkled throughout the show and if you looked closely you could see that the lights were actually showing a live feed of what was in front of them, creating a shadow effect with different colors. The lights helped with creating the concert or TV set locations. My one issue with the lights was that a few pointed out into the audience, and, while I loved the effect making it like a concert, the lights were actually pretty blinding. This happened multiple times during the show, and I don’t know if I was just in the wrong seat or if anyone else experienced the same thing.
I would 100% recommend this show to anyone, whether they are a theatre lover or a Cher lover. The whole cast is incredible and I’m very excited to see the show again when it hits Broadway to see what changes were made.
The Cher Show is in Chicago until July 15 before it begins rehearsals for Broadway. Broadway previews begin November 1, and the official Broadway opening date is December 3, 2018.
For tickets go to thechershowbroadway.com
Photos by Walter McBride for Broadwayworld.com