★★★★★
First theatre trip after our holiday (though still slightly jetlagged) and it was a case of turning back time and believing in love (as well as the music of Cher)!
Millie O’Connell (Babe), Debbie Kurup (Star) and Danielle Steers (Lady)
I’d heard about this when it was on Broadway and although I’m not a fan of juke box musicals I was curious. When the UK tour was announced, including our local theatre, and the casting revealed two ex-Six Queens, then as far as my daughter was concerned, we HAD to go.
We had great front row seats and were greeted by row upon row of costume bags and wigs. The set – designed by Tom Rogers – was a mixture of an industrial feel and the steel frame of touring concert venue.
This is a bio of Cher but it uses an interesting concept to tell her story. We start at the tech rehearsals of a Cher concert. But Cher is missing. She is in her dressing room and she is alone, but not alone. There are in fact 3 Chers sitting at dressing room mirrors, each representing a different stage of her life. Babe (Millie O’Connell), Lady (Danielle Steers) and Star (we had the understudy Samantha Ivey). It is through these three that we go back to 1952 and learn the story of her life. All three remain on stage for the majority of the show, overseeing the story.
We start with Babe, and she enters, aged 6, riding a tricycle around the stage complaining to her mother (Tori Scott) about school. Scott gives a lovely warm portrayal of her mother, whilst at the same time being tough and encouraging her daughter to reach for the stars. We move through the years (props and set pieces are brought onstage to tell us what year we are in) and Cher meets Sonny (played with suitable creepiness, given their age difference, by Lucas Rush). This is where O’Connell gets the chance to blast out some classic Cher songs ranging from ‘I Got You Babe’ to ‘All or Nothing’ and she certainly rises to the challenge. This is one of her best performances to date.
Millie O’Connell as Babe
As we hit the 1970s, the decade of the Sonny and Cher Show Lady takes over. Danielle Steers has never been more suited to a role with a voice that is naturally so close to the tonality of Cher. She can belt out a song and sing with tenderness. We see a woman, still in her 20s, who feels trapped by the fame she desired and by the relentless demands of her husband.
Danielle Steers as Lady
Then, in the 1980s, Star (Samantha Ivey) takes over. Cher forges out on her own without Sonny and makes her film and Broadway debuts. Samantha Ivey is a Cher who is already a star but feels vulnerable and unsure as she ventures beyond the world of music and TV. She blasts out numbers such as Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves, and The Way of Love.
Debbie Kurup as Star
But the best moments are when the three are singing together with songs like Believe, and You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me’.
With direction by Arlene Phillips and choreography by Oti Mabuse this is a strong female led team, with costume designer Gabriella Slade (Six) making up a creative trio to match the trio on stage.
The rest of the cast are also fantastic. Jake Mitchell (Bob Mackie), Sam Ferriday (Greg Allman / Rob Camiletti / Phil Spector / Joe Southall) complete the principle line up. I’ve not seen many shows where the ensemble works quite as hard as these guys do – spot on all the time: Jordan Anderson, Jasmine Jules Andrews, Carla Bertran, Catherine Cornwall, Mine Curran, Sam Holden, Ingrid Olivia, Aston Newman Hannington, Clayton Rosa, Chay Willis, and Guy Woolf.
Whether you know much about Cher’s life, or just know her songs, or could maybe only name one or two of them, there is something for everyone in this musical. I was very pleased to hear an announcement at the start asking people NOT to join in singing and that they would get the opportunity to do that at the end (always a big worry with juke box musicals).
The Cher Show runs until tonight (13 Aug) at MK Theatre and then continues on tour across the UK until March 2023
Official website: https://cheronstage.com
Official photos © Pamela Raith
Act 1 Beginners 