‘The Cher Show’ – Rick Elice (writer), Gerry McIntyre (Director), Jane Lanier (Choreographer), Kristin Stowell (Music Director), Andy Walmsley (Set Design), Richard Latta (Lighting Design), Bob Mackie (Costume Design), Roxanne De Luna (Wig Design), Kevin Heard (Sound Design), John Narun (Projection Design). Presented by the Ogunquit Playhouse through June 25th.
by Linda Chin
Ogunquit Playhouse is New England’s grande dame of the summer stock circuit, making The Cher Show an entirely fitting choice to open the theatre’s 90th season in grand style. With a book by Rick Elice (Jersey Boys) and 35 tunes, this show about Cher’s early life and career spanning six decades is not your average musical, but in the “juke box musical” or bio-musical” category. The archival black-and-white clips from The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, colorful, over-the-top costumes by fashion designer Bob Mackie, and adoring (and adorable) back-up dancers make this production part-documentary, part-TV series, part-runway show, part-sketch comedy and nightclub act.
Reminiscent of the Donna Summer show in narrative structure, three actors portray Cher at different life-stages – Madeline Hudelson (Babe, from the 50s/60s) , Charissa Hogeland (Lady, from the 70s), and Sara Gettelfinger (Star, from the 80s, 90s) – and are triple threats. In contrast to needing three women to fill Cher’s stilettos, her two rocking husbands are played by single actors – Dino Nicandros (Sonny Bono), Matthew Hydzik (Gregg Allman), who show us their versatility as performers and how much work it takes to maintain a marriage. As Georgia Holt, Angie Schworer plays a woman who puts her own career and dreams on pause and a single mom who is fiercely protective of her daughter.
With two acts and intermission, The Cher Show clocks in at nearly three hours. The scenes between Cher and her mom, building a life with Sonny, and Babe, Lady, and Star on stage together giving advice to their “younger’ selves provide some lovely moments, but overall the uneven book contributes to the show dragging, and at times is repetitious.
We humans are craving connection and the comfort of the familiar these days, so being back inside the Ogunquit Playhouse again after 30 months was quite special. The iconic hits “If I Could Turn Back Time”, “The Shoop Shoop Song”,“Gypsy, Tramps and Thieves”, “Believe”, “I Got You Babe” were performed to perfection and as the mother of biracial children, I listened to “Half-Breed” with a different perspective. Ogunquit Playhouse is recognized for its high production quality, and with The Cher Show as its 90th season opener, we left the show that evening with smiles on our faces and the assurance that, their Beat Will Definitely Go On. For tickets and information, go to: http://www.ogunquitplayhouse.org/cher-show
