The Cher Show Review, New Victoria Theatre, Woking, Tuesday 6th September 2022
Through the run of our podcast, I haven’t been introduced to many biopics. Earlier this year we were lucky enough to see The Osmonds: A New Musical, and that whet my appetite for more shows of this fashion. For quite a while now, I have been excited by the prospect of this week’s show, The Cher Show, making its UK debut via a national tour after a short stint on Broadway.
The first thing that struck me about this show is the wonderful set, greeting me as I took my seat at the New Victoria Theatre. Adjourned with wigs and costume bags, it felt like I had stepped into the warehouse from the end of Raiders of the Lost Arc, and there was an archive dedicated to ‘Top Men’ preserving the life and times of Cher. Throughout the show, the stage played a huge role in the success of The Cher Show, constantly evolving to fit the era of her career and providing the additional glitz and glamour. Tom Rogers (Set Design) and Ben Cracknell (Lighting Design) should be commended for their vision that helped match the highs and lows of the narrative. Alongside Gabriella Slade’s utterly phenomenal costume design, this really does feel like you’re fully immersed in Cher’s world! You can absolutely see her Six style in full effect here, and fans of O’Connell and Steers will feel like they’ve Turned Back Time with some of their costumes; especially the finale! Everyone looks wonderful - whenever Millie O’Connell, Danielle Steers or Debbie Kurup are on stage they positively sparkle with the lights bouncing off their sequin’s. The spectacle is truly worthy of the shows namesake.
Speaking of our leading trio, they excel in their roles of the different stages for Cher’s career, and the dynamic they share, supporting and roasting each other is incredibly fun. O’Connell manages to bring her trademark humour to the stage, whilst also bringing a raw vulnerability to ‘Babe’. You’ll laugh out loud when we first meet First Grade Babe, as O’Connell rides out onto the stage on a mini tricycle, but speaks with an adult Cher voice. As ever, she fully immerses herself into the comedy the role demands, but continues to deliver a well rounded and moving performance.
Steer’s Lady takes us through the ‘Sonny and Cher’ years, and wonderfully represents the ‘Diva’ years. Like Babe, she manages to excel with the comedy routines but also capture the vulnerability of Cher as her life falls apart around her. More so than any other act within the play, Steers shares the stage with Sonny and we see both the best, and worst, of their time together. Lucas Rush is wonderful as they bring Sonny to life on stage, we see them fall in love with O’Connell’s Babe and Rush presents a sincerely likeable Sonny. This lulls us into a false sense of security, as during their time with Steers, we see a much more vicious side to Sonny. Rush and Steers could bring the room to riotous laughter, but also create a tense atmosphere you could cut with a knife.
Our final Cher, Star, is appropriately a star! We first meet Kurup as a tired Cher, who needs the prompting of her younger selves to find her star aura once more. Act 2 is lead by her experiences as we see Cher’s star rise through Hollywood and decline, alongside two more failed romances and dealing with the death of Sonny. Kurup’s vocals are superb, as is her performance, as the audience share in the rollercoaster she is experiencing before us.
Fans of Cher’s extensive back catalogue won’t be left disappointed. The music comes with high expectations, and is very well performed by our trio of Cher’s and our hugely talented ensemble. Between the sound and Oti Mabuse’ dynamic choreography The Cher Show is a treat for your eyes and ears!
Perhaps my one key critique of this otherwise wonderful show is just how fast the action flows. Especially towards the end, we race through different moments with little emphasis. In particular I was left wanting to know more about her relationships with both Gregg Allman and Rob Camilletti (played by chameleon Sam Ferriday, which absolutely shocked me when I realised this in the programme!) but instead, they were glossed over. I’m sure this is a common critique of a lot of biopics as there is only so much time!
Overall, The Cher Show is an absolute treat you won’t want to miss out on. Through the highs and lows, you’ll be blown away by the talent on display that culminates in one of the most fun finales you could experience in the theatre!
****/5
Download our episode – coming out Monday 12th September for more of our thoughts and to find out who our MVP is; along with more talk on our favourite songs and what roles we would want to play.
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The Cher Show is currently playing at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking until Saturday 10 August 2022. You can follow them on:
Twitter: @WokingTheatre
Instagram: @NewVictoriaTheatreWoking
Twitter and Instagram: @TheCherShowUk