The Cher Show (Chicago)

“Cher is such a huge superstar, it takes a cast of three women into play her...And it works...Thanks to the imaginative designs of Mackie...The costumes themselves take on star power throughout the show...The audience gets a peek into Cher’s life beyond the stage with sets and costumes featuring so much glitter and sparkle, you need sunglasses to watch. 'The Cher Show' is one fabulous evening of non-stop Broadway at its best!" Full Review

"These actors deliver a powerhouse trio of performances worthy of Cher herself...'The Cher Show' does precisely what it's intended to do and does it well: captures the spirit of a determined and unique artist who rose to the top...While some of the scenes in Elice's book seem clunky, the emotions at the core feel authentic...A dazzling thrill that can be appreciated by hardcore Cher fans and those who have a more cursory knowledge of the bold and talented artist." Full Review

"Elice’s book is cheesy, but certainly in a manner that feels appropriate. As one would expect for a piece about the iconic figure that is Cher, the production feels larger than life...Utilizing three actresses for the title character not only aids in the storytelling of Cher’s life, but also offers opportunities for the women to harmonize on some of the hits...Striking design and jaw-dropping vocalists make 'The Cher Show' a night to remember, and a blast from start to finish." Full Review

"It would be impossible to pick a favorite 'Cher' in this show, because all three were amazing...The zenith occurred for me when about 12 'Chers' came onstage in many of the iconic, controversial dresses worn by Cher early in her career...Obviously the show will leave you on a 'high,' but it will also leave you feeling such admiration for a person who has accomplished so much, and embodies resilience." Full Review

"Works on nearly every level. There is a bit of refining still to be done by book writer Rick Elice and director Jason Moore...Stepping into the triad role of Cher are three distinct and ridiculously talented actresses...Nearly stealing the show, however, are the impossibly stunning costumes of Bob Mackie...What emerges from 'The Cher Show' is the portrait of an artist." Full Review

"Elice hasn't yet found a solid dramatic arc...She was a star by 21. Her post-stardom valleys are somewhat glossed over—but, then again, that gloss is pretty spectacular...Setting the show within the framework of a variety show is a smart move...Under Moore's direction, the Chers deliver her signature sarcasm, take-no-shit assertiveness, razor-sharp intelligence...The show's strengths are fourfold: Its music, costumes, choreography and its allegiance to Cher." Full Review

"It didn’t highlight all her achievements...Of course, how much can be shown in one musical that is already more than two hours thirty minutes?...Playing their vocally demanding roles with an expertise that is sure to please Cher fans are Micaela Diamond, Teal Wicks, and Stephanie J. Block...Directed by Jason Moore, the show is almost ready for Broadway. That is almost because the beginning and ending appear a bit confused and weak." Full Review

"The three personalities are constantly able to speak to each other at any given time and have a ghost of Christmas past, present, and future to their interactions. As this is a pre-Broadway run, there are certainly still kinks to work out and I wonder if maybe that isn’t one of them...The acting itself is fantastic...The variety show aspect of it all was slightly jarring at times and took you out of the story, but I thought the entire production was well-done for a pre-Broadway run." Full Review

"These ladies can all sing and act, and what makes the story-telling work is that the three alter-egos help each other to make it through some of the hardest parts of their life...I loved the projections and the feeling that we were indeed eavesdropping on the making of the documentary and of course, the amazing costumes were by Bob Mackie...The ensemble is important to a show such as this because of the dance numbers and the ease of movement." Full Review

"Captures a good amount of the vibrant personality and genuinely admirable perseverance that make Cher the ultimate celebrity survivor...The real star of the show, though, turns out not to be the stars of the show, nor the music, but Bob Mackie’s costume...But costumes can carry a show only so far. And here’s the tricky thing: what’s good about this show also happens to be what’s not great about it. It’s funny but not that funny, clever but never interesting." Full Review

“Terrific casting, marvelous costumes,delightfully retro dance numbers from choreographer Gattelli and of course a bursting catalog more than 50 hits deep all go a very long way. But this earnest work-in-progress also feels both long in places and rushed in others. And the chief framing device, a show within the taping of a TV show, is sometimes confusing, and not really needed. What is needed is more of what makes this legend, now 72, unique.” Full Review

"You know a Broadway-bound tuner isn't Broadway-ready when the costumes elicit more sustained and effusive applause than the musical numbers...Musically, the show is solid thanks to its skilled stars...Unfortunately the overlong, inconsistent 'Cher Show' needs some tailoring, beginning with the conceit that drives the first act and is all but abandoned in the second...A pleasant spectacle that shortchanges fans by delivering abbreviated versions of the hits." Full Review

“Three women share the role of Cher...Rather than switching off chronologically, the three travel together...The result is sometimes clever, but not very fun...Despite the efforts of...Elice, the emotional details of Cher's life never have a chance to land as the musical zips from event to event...Key moments are brushed aside...’The Cher Show’ is, at its best, a dynamic showcase for..fashion designs...When the musical does finally focus on the women playing Cher, the leading ladies shine." Full Review

“’The Cher Show’ is too convoluted to be anything artful but has learned enough razzle-dazzle from its subject to be generally entertaining...’The Cher Show’ takes Cher seriously, but it doesn’t do itself the same favor...The premise is ambitious...And vague enough that you can mostly ignore the nonsensical bits...The production could stand to lose 30 minutes, and the second half is more of an extended Wikipedia page than a compelling drama...The songs are good, though," Full Review

"Most celebrity-driven jukebox shows settle for belting out the hits...Others are more ambitious, focusing on intense emotional engagement. 'The Cher Show' will work only if it does both. And in order to do either, it first will need to lose its outer frame....And if the needless fictional show were nixed, that would come with an additional benefit: The Chers would get more agency in telling their own collective story. And this is the era of agency...They don’t roar as they should." Full Review

"I’d suggest its producers jettison their plans for any future Broadway run and simply drop the show down on a stage in Vegas, which is where it belongs...The show comes with a surprisingly perfunctory, often clunky book by Elice, and with pedestrian direction by Moore and choreography by Gattelli. It makes all the predictable stops...The most winning aspect of the show is how three different actresses with powerful voices so deftly capture Cher at various stages of her life." Full Review

“’The Cher Show’ makes a sly subtext of the diva's triumph over talent...Elice devotes a whole production number to...Mackie gowns that were the real stars of her weekly TV shows and...source of her popularity...There aren't enough decent Cher hits to fill out the jukebox score...The cast is strong - especially Berresse as Mackie and Diamond as the youngest of the multiple Chers. But when this thing goes to Broadway, the Carole King show, ‘Beautiful’, will be playing nearby. See that.” Full Review