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.
Cher's fandom is assured. The exuberant, occasionally tacky jukebox musical that tells her life story is more faltering. The Cher Show, like last year's Donna Summer musical, requires three actors (and the occasional dancer) to play one jukebox queen. Micaela Diamond is Babe, Teal Wicks is Lady, Stephanie J Block is Star. (That trio sounds cheerier than Maiden, Mother, Crone.) Together they describe the evolution of Cherilyn Sarkisian from southern California ugly duckling to the black swan entertainment queen. This is a straightforward story of female empowerment, though, as crafted by an all-male creative team, it sometimes feels more like a compilation of girl-power pep talks than an individual woman's singular journey.
There's a fine line between tacky and spectacular. In creating costumes for Cher over the years - costumes that often tell the story of a shy woman emerging triumphant from a chrysalis - the designer Bob Mackie has kept on the right side of the line by making sure the level of craft supports the extravagance of the gesture. Sadly that's not the case with 'The Cher Show,' the maddening mishmash of a new musical that opened on Monday at the Neil Simon Theater. Except for the dozens of eye-popping outfits Mr. Mackie gorgeously recreates for the occasion, it's all gesture, no craft: dramatically threadbare and surprisingly unrevealing.
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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