By Alana Brooks.
For anyone who’s been putting off returning to the delights and whimsies of musical theater, it’s
time to go out and buy those tickets—better yet, get them to The Cher Show, put on by Gateway
Playhouse, at the Patchogue Theater! The show, directed by David Ruttura, opened August 26
and runs through September 11.
The Cher Show follows the life and experiences of Cherilyn Sarkisian—otherwise known to the
world as simply Cher—and it is an all together dazzling, hilarious, and emotional ride.
The story traverses Cher’s quick rise to fame after being in the right place at the right time. To
tell the tale, the show implements having three different versions of the diva. There is the
adorably awkward yet determined youngest version, “Babe”; the mid-period and somewhat jaded
“Lady”, and the present day, confidence-oozing “Star”—complete with signature curls and
headdresses.
Both individually and as a trio, the three actresses work together not only to tell her story, but to
give a look into her inner-world. It is both hilarious and effective, and much of the banter
between Chers had the audience rolling.
The bulk of the show centers around the era of Sonny & Cher. As a couple they rose to stardom
first as a musical act and then furthered their fame with a successful television show, “The Sonny
& Cher Comedy Hour”. Their initial relationship is sweet and full of “down to earth” jokes, but
the audience soon gets a look into how much of a “man’s world” her life started shaping up to be
by the end of the first act.
With the help of the different versions of herself and some scantily clad musical numbers, Cher
pushes through hardship but comes out stronger than ever. As she asks the audience in “The Beat
Goes On”, what diva doesn’t have her ups AND downs?
As the goddess warrior “Star”, Aléna Watters was incredible. She was a powerful presence and
carried the weight of Cher’s past selves on her shoulders gracefully. She masterfully captured
Cher’s voice and mannerisms—from her bouncing walk to the shape of her mouth when she
spoke. Her second act solo, “The Way of Love”, brought down the house.
Charissa Hogeland played the hardworking and quick-witted “Lady” that was a perfect transition
between the two bookended versions of Cher. Her chemistry with Sonny, played by the talented
Dino Nicandros, and the inner turmoil she experienced in breaking free of him, was visible and moving. Her spotlight in the power ballad “Bang Bang” was handled with expertise and intense
emotion, and was definitely a highlight of the show.
Babe—the adorably awkward and determined young Cher—was played phenomenally by
Madeline Hudelson. As she became more comfortable with the spotlight, the starry-eyed hunger
for fame became written all over her face. During her duets with Sonny, like “I Got You Babe”,
you could see her inner child buzzing with excitement. “The Beat Goes On” was a highlight of
the second act, with Babe smirking and shimmying across the stage as she describes her ascent to
movie-screen fame.
The characters of Bob Mackie, Gregg Allman, and mother-dearest Georgia Holt rounded out the
show with excellent performances that warranted many laughs—keeping the show barreling
down its tracks.
The ensemble amplified the enjoyment of the show, with time period accurate
costumes—especially with the bold colors of the sixties—and their perfect harmonies and
synchronous leaps and twirls across the stage as Cher told her story.
The show, while hilarious and dazzling, is definitely not family friendly. The shimmering
costumes are quite revealing, and a fair amount of f-bombs are dropped by the goddess warrior
who didn’t give a…darn about what people said about her.
Overall, whether you’re Cher obsessed or you just enjoy a good story about following your
dreams and pushing through adversity, The Cher Show is an excellent production put on by
incredible performers.
It only runs through September 11 at the Patchogue Theater, and you can
buy your tickets here.
Run time is about 2.5 hours, with one 15 minute intermission.