SUPERSTARS COME AND GO.
CHER IS FOREVER.
For six straight decades, only one unstoppable force has flat-out dominated popular culture - breaking down barriers, pushing boundaries, and letting nothing and no one stand in her way. The Cher Show is her story, and it's packed with so much Cher that it takes three women to play her: the kid starting out, the glam pop star and the icon.
The Cher Show is 35 smash hits, six decades of stardom, two rock-star husbands, a Grammy, an Oscar, an Emmy, and enough Bob Mackie gowns to cause a sequins shortage in New York City, all in one unabashedly fabulous new musical.
Jason Moore directs, with choreography by Christopher Gattelli and orchestrations by Daryl Waters.
Believing in life after love turns out to be a surer bet than pinning your hopes on jukebox musicals, no matter how fabulous the subject. The Cher Show, opening tonight at Broadway's Neil Simon Theatre, might not disappoint anyone likely to applaud a Bob Mackie-designed Oscar gown, but neither does it do any boundary-pushing. So very un-Cher.
Directed by Jason Moore, the show whirls through six decades at a dizzying pace that disguises, up to a point, that it doesn't have much to stand on. We are told a dozen times that Cher is 'shy,' and her mother's advice-'The song makes you strong'-is repeated more than once. But unlike the songs in, say, Beautiful, Cher's actual hits can't support that task: They are likeable but skimpy pop ditties. Rick Elice's script responds to this challenge by skipping past most of them quickly: We hear only snippets before the musical hurries on to some new montage, narration or set change. The show covers so much ground that it can't dig into any one narrative, and although Cher is known for self-exposure, the storytelling is guarded.
2018 | Chicago |
World Premiere Chicago |
2018 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2022 | UK Tour |
UK Tour |
2024 | US Tour |
US Tour US Tour |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Stephanie J. Block |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical | Bob Mackie |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Daryl Waters |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Daryl Waters |
2019 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Wig and Hair Design | Charles G. LaPointe |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Stephanie J. Block |
2019 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | The Cher Show |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Stephanie J. Block |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreographer | Christopher Gattelli |
2019 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Costume Design | Bob Mackie |
2019 | Theatre World Awards | Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway Debut Performance | Micaela Diamond |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Bob Mackie |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Kevin Adams |
2019 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Stephanie J. Block |
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