The Cher Show

[BrodyFosse123]

We will have many questions answered in a few hours. Everyone is curious, optimistic and hopeful.  All we know right now is that Bob Mackie’s costumes were a huge highlight of the dress rehearsal.  No one said anything further than that.   

[Jessetenny]

I don't see this show until the 29th, but I am SO excited for this. I think they are really putting the care into this that Summer, and On Your Feet! did not, to make a truly great musical.

[jacobsnchz14]

Look up the hashtag #thechershow on Instagram for photos from the theatre.

[Robbie2]

[Bwayfan292]

Im wishing this is gonna turn out good. We cant afford anymore horrible Juke box musicals

[Marlothom]

Intermission. I can’t help feeling like this is what “Summer” what’s supposed to be like. Much more thought out and at least an attempt at placing the songs at the right times. The Bob Mackey number was a showstopper (I wanted to stand). More to come.

[RevolutionaryCostume]

Intermission...random Notes

Act one finale.. Song For The Lonely

Huge production budget

Costumes are everything and more.

Big Mackie fashion show in act one stopped the show for applause.

Lots of fourth wall breaking.. All three Chers comment on the action.

Big rock version of Bang Bang

Big solo for medium Cher of Superstar

[Jessetenny]

RevolutionaryCostume said: "Intermission...random Notes

Act one finale.. Song For The Lonely

Huge production budget

Costumes are everything and more.

Big Mackie fashion show in act one stopped the show for applause.

Lots of fourth wall breaking.. All three Chers comment on the action.

Big rock version of Bang Bang

Big solo for medium Cher of Superstar"

 

How is Stephanie J Block though? I assume incredible. 

[BJR]

I'm very curious to hear how they structure her life for a dramatic narrative.

While SUMMER left much of the actual drama of Summer's life offstage, it would seem Cher has almost too much story to put into one two-act structure.

Thoughts on their first attempts?

[JeaniusIsMe]

Just got out- about three hours with intermission.

I second the “This is what Summer was supposed to feel like comment.” I’m not a huge Cher fan and I had a genuinely good time at the show (my friends, who knew more about Cher’s songbook than her life story, also enjoyed it). Is it a great show? No, but with some tweaks it could be a good show.

The Mackey costumes are just spectacular to see (there’s a number that is essentially a Mackey fashion show and it stops the show in Act One).

The three Cher set-up works, and they lean into the meta commentary/fourth wall breaking aspect of it. Block and Wicks are incredible (Block absolutely brought the house down with Do You Believe in Life After Love in act two- it’s an amazing arrangement and performance of the song). I am legitimately worried their voices won’t hold up with all they are asked to do. Micaela Diamond does a great job with the younger Cher side of things.

The Sonny and Cher sections of the show are stronger that the rest, and I didn’t love that they kept bringing in ththe framing device (a Cher TV retrospective special) to break up the story- we don’t need it for all the transitions, it’s easy enough to follow the story. Act two felt less connected than one, but the amount of talent in the cast smoothed over most bumps.

And, as was mentioned, you can see how much money was thrown at the show. It has to be insanely expensive.

Frankly, I went in with really low expectations and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I’m likely not their target audience (30 something woman with no real attachment to Cher), but it won me over. I’m gonna try and get back to see it later in the run to see if it was tightened a bit.

[Ravenclaw]

Typing this on the train, will say more once I’m home.

The show was strikingly fun, original, and has the makings of a hit. However, in its current state (at just shy of three hours) it is too long and unfocused to really cohere in a satisfying way. But all the events are in there.

The show has two framing concepts. The first is that they are rehearsing a Cher career retrispective, and Cher is re-experiencing moments of her life as they play out in front of her again. The other framing device is basically Three Tall Women. The three Cher’s talk to each other and sometimes step into each other’s stories and take over for each other when they need to. The rules of the first device are unclear and made for some confusing storytelling moments. The second device is exciting and theatrical.

The show has a lot of “and then this happened. And then this happened. And then this happened,” so while it is very fast-paced, there isn’t a clear through-line driving you through the show, so the ending (shortly after Sonny’s death) feels a little arbitrary.

Some highlights were The Beat Goes On, which uses a monologue interspersed in a very “Roxie”-like sequence following her achievements in film, and Dark Lady, which sees Sonny and Gregg Allman voicing their jealousy while the ensemble dances a terrific tango.

The show is really trying to do something original in its book and not play it safe. It is so successful in terms of form, but it’s unclear what their angle is on the story right now. Some cuts and focusing will really help that, but it’s a blast and the audience loved it so much.

[Marlothom]

Just got out and I thought it was truly a great effort for a first preview.   Again, really great effort in making the three Chers work as one, smart placements of the songs, breath taking costumes, and overall great talent.  I loved the use of costume racks as part of the set in Act 1.  

They will definitely need to cut some of this down and I hope they opt for cutting entire songs and extending some other songs, instead of shorter versions of as many songs as possible.  I'd love to hear a fuller version of the Act 1 closer, "Song for the Lovely" for example, 

I suspect some tourist will wonder why no one is doing "the Cher voice" (I heard it from some during intermission).   I will be honest that as great as Teal Wicks is as "Lady" Cher, she looks nothing like her and is too short for all of the jokes that are made about her being taller than Sonny.   I also wish Stephanie's Cher was a tad older and had bigger hair.   I really enjoyed Jarrod Spector and  Emily Skinner in their supporting roles and hope they are recognized during awards season.  

 

[RW3]

For those who saw it tonight who don't mind sharing, how was "Half-Breed' done?

[CukorLover]

Would any of you mind commenting on the choreography? Was dance a big part of the show?

[Marlothom]

By Emily Skinner as Cher's mom.  Cher lamenting she was too dark and ugly, unlike her blonde (beautiful) mother.  I thought it was well done.  

[RippedMan]

What made the show seem so expensive? Was the set elaborate? I'm just curious what the design of this show would be? I'd expect a tv studio type feel? 

[Menken Fan]

I agree with most of Ravenclaw's comments, but I went in with higher expectations.  I guess that has something to do with waiting a year for the show and holding tickets for months in advance.  I won't repeat what others have said, except too long, no compelling through-story, and the concept was somewhat disjointed.  There's a lot to work with here, but I honestly think the show needs a new director.  Also, much more Emily Skinner, less Sonny, a better finale than the kind of obscure disco hit "Take Me Home", and more recognizable Cher moments.  When her Laverne costume appeared briefly during the "My Strongest Suit"-like, Mackie fashion show, the audience went crazy, and I wanted to see a bit of that hysterical character.  Maybe a couple of iconic movie scenes, instead of just mentioning some of the movies in the "Roxie"-like number. Being a theatre fan, I was disappointed that they had a scene of Robert Altman convincing Cher to be in his Broadway show, but never mentioned the title or anything about it, and then Cher just kind of says 'I did that, but now I'm done with Broadway'. Oh, and what's up with Lucille Ball showing up for a few minutes? Also, it's a bit strange that the story ends about 20 years ago, before her major resurgence as a concert artist.  And nothing about her famous tweeting??

Stephanie's power-ballad version of "Life After Love" was definitely a highlight.

Hoping for some meaningful tweaks. This could be really good.

[RippedMan]

It sounds like none of these shows want to "got there" and therefore are just surface fluff. Now I just want to see 9 to 5 with a Cher score, ah. 

[whatdoesntkillme]

I echo a lot of what's been said already, I'll try not to repeat too much. As someone who knew next to nothing about Cher's life going in, I had a great time. It is way too long, spending too much time on some moments of her life while skipping over others and asking the audience to connect the dots in places where it can be difficult to do so without already being familiar with Cher's life. There should be more emphasis on how she got to where she got, and not just the checkpoints of her life. The framing device(s) is/are confusing, especially with SJB Cher not really having a large dedicated chunk to herself but rather interspersing herself throughout the other two (mainly Wicks's). Everyone is working very hard--lots of ensemble dancing and production numbers, and the performances seemed very polished. There are too many songs to list them all in the Playbill! Quite a few tech issues to work out: walls that creak when they move, silent blackout transitions, upstage transitions visible, live feed camera lag, etc. But I'm excited to see what this turns into. SJB is incredible. The whole cast is incredible. The production has spent so much money--some elaborate costumes are only seen for 5 seconds, there are so many lights around the set. You can tell that Rick Elice wrote the book--he uses some similar plot devices to Jersey Boys, like teasing the audience with an alternate version of the signature song at the beginning of the show. Overall, I had a great time. 

The audience was filled with Cher devotees who don't know how to behave at the theatre. Lots of singing along and photos/videos taken. Ugh.

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

I attended tonight's show also.  The lottery tickets for the show are the front row of the theatre,  The show starts off very strongly and is fast paced.  I would give Tony nominations to Stephanie J. Block, Emily Skinnern, Jarrod Spector and newcomer Micalea Diamond and a tony nomination for the amazing costumes by Bob Mackie.  The show makes very good use of Cher's songs, sometimes using them to move the story forward.  It is a very enjoyable evening at the theatre and I don't think that anyone would be disappointed...

[bwayboy22]

Can anyone post a song list?

[Sho-Tunes-R-Us]

ChgoTheatreGuy said: "I attended tonight's show also. The lottery tickets for the show are the front row of the theatre, The show starts off very strongly and is fast paced. I would give Tony nominations to Stephanie J. Block, Emily Skinnern, Jarrod Spector and newcomer Micalea Diamond and a tony nomination for the amazing costumes by Bob Mackie. The show makes very good use of Cher's songs, sometimes using them to move the story forward. It is a very enjoyable evening at the theatre and I don't think that anyone would be disappointed..."

What did you think of Teal Wicks' performance?

[anominondas]

can anyone post the song list here?

[ghostlight2]

" Being a theatre fan, I was disappointed that they had a scene of Robert Altman convincing Cher to be in his Broadway show, but never mentioned the title or anything about it"

I guess you know what show it was, but for those playing at home, it was COME BACK TO THE 5 & DIME, JIMMY DEAN, JIMMY DEAN, also starring Karen Black and a young Kathy Bates. A remarkable play that was made into a movie, definitely worth the watch. It was well ahead of its time regarding LGBT issues. Who plays Altman?

eta: I'd heard Michael Berresse, but everything I've read says he is playing Mackie. I suppose he could be playing both roles.

[JeaniusIsMe]

anominondas said: "can anyone post the song list here?"

There wasn't one listed in the playbill.