Interview: Morgan Scott On Starring in THE CHER SHOW National Tour

Cher needs only one name to be immediately identified. When it comes to dramatizing her life for the stage, however, it’s not surprising that it takes three performers to play her in the Tony Award-winning musical “The Cher Show,” which comes to the Boch Center Wang Theatre March 15–17 on its North American tour.

In her seven-decade career, Cher has racked up a dozen Top Ten hits – from her 2023 holiday release “DJ, Play a Christmas Song” back through “Believe,” “If I Could Turn Back Time,” “Take Me Home,” “Dark Lady,” “Half-Breed,” “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,” and “Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).” As part of Sonny & Cher, with first husband, Sonny Bono, she also charted with “The Beat Goes On” and “I Got You, Babe.”

With a book by Rick Elice (“Jersey Boys”), “The Cher Show” had its world premiere in Chicago in June 2018 before transferring to Broadway in December of that year. It went on to win two 2019 Tony Awards – Best Costume Design of a Musical for Bob Mackie, and Best Actress in a Musical for Stephanie J. Block.

In the current touring production, the three performers bringing the Emmy-, Grammy-, and Oscar-winning superstar’s life story to the stage, each marking a specific phase of her personal and professional evolution, are Ella Perez as “Babe,” the bright-eyed youngster starting out; Catherine Ariale as “Lady,” the glam pop star; and Morgan Scott as “Star,” the cultural icon who glitters to this day.

Scott, a Memphis, Tennessee, native and graduate of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, whose prior stage credits include regional productions of “Next to Normal” and “Into the Woods,” spoke by telephone recently from a Hartford tour stop about what it’s like to portray the larger-than-life legend, and more.

What’s it like playing Cher eight shows a week?

It’s a pinch-myself moment every day that I get to do this. Cher is a legend, a diva, and an icon, and she’s as relevant today as she has ever been. I mean she’s still making number one hits. What else is there to say? Cher is one of a kind and it is an honor to play her.

What do you want people to know before they come to see this show?

That it’s an homage to Cher, not an impersonation or tribute show. Our mindset is to always be respectful to Cher, and to play her with the utmost sincerity.

You’re playing “Star,” but what’s your favorite of the three Cher periods and why?

I love all three Chers. And I really love the way this show is done. It’s not chronological – the three Chers are interwoven. This allows for beautiful moments like when the middle and older Cher assure the younger Cher about what her future will be like. And there’s another moment, near the end of act one, when the older and younger Cher share their thoughts on Sonny Bono with the middle one. Rick Elice’s book is terrific from start to finish.

What kind of research did you do for this show?

I read everything about Cher that I could get my hands on, including her book “The First Time,” in which she writes about the “firsts” in her life. Even though I don’t play her as a child, I still need to understand her from an early age. I also watched a lot of television interviews she did with Dinah Shore, Barbara Walters, and others because I knew in order to be able to fully wrap my head around what her life in the spotlight was like, I would have to get to know her on a more human level. I assumed she just had confidence, but watching the interviews I learned that she’s really had to fight against fear and insecurity to hang on and persevere all these years.

When did you first become aware of Cher?

I was a kid who loved watching Nick at Nite, which is where I first saw reruns of “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour” and “The Sonny & Cher Show.” I didn’t quite understand what I was watching – I just sat back and enjoyed it. Years later, when I saw Cher’s iconic video for “If I Could Turn Back Time,” where she’s in a leather thong on the deck of a battleship surrounded by servicemen, I don’t think I realized that it was even the same woman I saw with Sonny.

Bob Mackie won two of his nine Emmy awards for his work with Cher on television, and a Tony Award for this show. What’s it like wearing costumes by such a legendary designer?

It’s amazing, because I’m wearing Bob Mackie’s Broadway costumes with Stephanie J. Block’s name sewn into them. That means a lot. Stephanie won a Tony for this show and she has my absolute respect for that. My Cher has 25 costume and 10 wig changes. The costumes are like walking pieces of art. Every sequin and every feather is perfectly placed. Bob Mackie knows the female form and applauds it with his work. His clothing gives you confidence. There aren’t any Bob Mackie wardrobe malfunctions.

Has Mackie come out to see the show on the road?

Yes, he came to see us in Palm Desert and he was so gracious when he came backstage after the show, even offering a couple of the cast members advice on how they might wear this or that to better effect. It was wonderful to meet him and be in his presence.

What about Cher?

Cher saw the show on Broadway, but she hasn’t seen it on tour yet. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that she’ll make it one of these days. When I think about her being in the audience, I go back and forth as to whether I’d want to know she was there or not. I like to think that I’d want to know, because it would be so amazing to perform for her.

Photo caption: Catherine Ariale as Lady, Morgan Scott as Star, and Ella Perez as Babe in “The Cher Show.” Photo by Meredith Mashburn Photography. Head shot of Morgan Scott by Michael Hull.

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