The Cher Show- Page 11

[Robbie2]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 8:28pm

Kad said: "Jason Moore is hardly an inexperienced musical theatre director."

 

Kad: Just sharing with the board: That was my agent friend with 2 clients in the show said to me.

A friend saw it and said it needs at least 30 minutes to be cut and the pacing is slow and the structure of the whole show needs sharpening. He suggested the show needs a better director with more musical theater experience to shape and focus the show! Act 1 needs more choreography but the fashion show showcasing Mackie's costumes is beyond breathtaking! SJB is stealing the show

[Marlothom]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 9:43pm

In terms of SJB standing out in the show, I would think this is by design.  She gets top billing. I am sure she would be submitted for LEAD, w. Babe and Lady submitted for supporting.  

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 10:03pm

First act ended at 8:53 pm. How long will the 2nd act be? The Bob Mackie number was my favorite. The middle Cher is phenomenal!

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 10:27pm

Just a question about one of the dancers. Charlie Williams. Thoughts of him in the show. Does he have any feature. Or like any attractive mackie costumes. Or anything. Tbanks

[StylishCynic]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 10:38pm

Theatrefanboy1 said: "Just a question about one of the dancers. Charlie Williams. Thoughts of him in the show. Does he have any feature. Or like any attractive mackie costumes. Or anything. Tbanks"

Charlie has 1 line he sings in the Act 2 opener (a Napoléon and Josephine number). Otherwise he's a background character throughout (a bartender, a disco patron, etc).

ChgoTheatreGuy said: "

I am very sorry that you have never been to a world premiere of a musical before, but this is "The Cher Show". She is one of the most popular music artists for over 50 years. She has maintained our attention by not following everyone else's rules but her own. I wore a Cher concert t-shirt last night and everyone that sat around me seemed perfectly behaved. I do not see how wearing clothing becomes distracting when you are supposed to watching the stage.

"

Apologies for the syntax of the t-shirt comment. That statement reads not as intended. I wasn't saying that the clothing was detracting from the evening, it was that there were some fans in the audience who were not respectful of the setting and that negatively impacted the experience for others.

Someone else said earlier that one fan in particular was singing along to songs as a means to prove that (s)he loyally knew the lyrics. I'm thrilled that this show means so much to fans of Cher, as it will ultimately bring more patrons to the theatre, but fans should be mindful of the live performance setting and refrain from distractingly fangirling outside of applause. 

[Menken Fan]

Posted: 6/13/18 at 10:49pm

StylishCynic said: "Theatrefanboy1 said: "Just a question about one of the dancers. Charlie Williams. Thoughts of him in the show. Does he have any feature. Or like any attractive mackie costumes. Or anything. Tbanks"

Charlie has 1 line he sings in the Act 2 opener (a Napoléon and Josephine number). Otherwise he's a background character throughout (a bartender, a disco patron, etc)."

Charlie is definitely recognizable in the ensemble and has some very "attractive" costumes, as does the whole ensemble.  An observation about the choreography: There is a lot of ensemble dancing in the show, but the choreography does not really stand out in the show.  I thought it unusual that the choreography was not that memorable, considering other shows that Christopher Gattelli has choreographed, like Newsies and SpongeBob.

[Lil Crazy]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 12:23am

Good show, great cast. Lots of talent, but does need more tightening before Broadway. SJB is the most radiant of the three Cher’s. This could be a Tony Winner in 2019. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 1:12am

Moore isn't "super" experienced. He did do "Shrek" and "Avenue Q" - but this seems to be a different kind of beast. Hopefully they sharpen the show for Broadway, which I'm sure they will. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 1:12am

Moore isn't "super" experienced. He did do "Shrek" and "Avenue Q" - but this seems to be a different kind of beast. Hopefully they sharpen the show for Broadway, which I'm sure they will. 

[tbaker2]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 4:02pm

Saw the show last night. Won the lottery and they put us in the front row: So there I was, Front Row Center! 

Still a 3 hour show. One of the ensemble members said they only chopped 4 minutes off the run of the show!

Concept: The concept is a little muddy in the beginning. A lot of people were very confused. Towards the end, when 'Star Cher' looks at her Mom and says, "Wait, you can see the other Chers too?" It seemed a bit campy. A couple people behind me laughed at that a bit. 

Stephanie's entrance (which is staged to be a huge entrance) didn't get an applause. I found myself the only one applauding. Other than that, she's iconic in this role. Turning 'Believe' into a heartfelt 11 o'clock ballad for her was brilliant!  A Tony Award for her next season? 

Teal Wicks didn't really do much for me. Yeah she can belt, but she didn't sell it enough like Micaela & Stephanie did. Even after her huge 'Bang Bang' number with the Female Ensemble, I wasn't convinced enough to really be a huge fan of hers. Maybe it's the role itself, I don't know. 

Chicago's watching a star being born with Micaela Diamond. Act Two, she really blew me away with her show stopping 'Beat Goes On' number with the ensemble. 

The live taping throughout the numbers are a little lack luster for me. Last night, during 'I Got You Babe,' there's two screens of live taping footage of Cher & Sonny and only one worked so that was a bit awkward to watch. Hopefully, they'll git that cleaned up a bit. 

All in all, this show is something and is only going to get better from here. I'll go towards the end of the Chicago run to see how much they've cleaned and chopped up, but I'm really excited for this to go to Broadway. 

 

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 6:39pm

I agree with you, Micaela Diamond gives an amazing debut performance.  I had no idea that she was only 18 years old!   She and Ms. Block are the true stars of the show, when Stephanie J. Block stands aside and shows her the spotlight and says, "It's your turn", she truly means it...

Posted: 6/14/18 at 8:13pm

The more I think about it, the more irritated I am that The Cher Show completely glosses over Cher's role as a mother and as a gay icon.  Although most of the attention is, rightly, on the three actresses playing Cher, the fact of the matter is that The Cher Show has another leading actress:  Emily Skinner.  She plays Cher's mother and acts as one of the narrative threads that ties the musical together.  In real life, the bond between Cher and her mother has always been a strong one.  There is plenty of documentation to support the fact that Georgia exerted a strong influence on Cher.  Strangely enough, the musical does not include "I'm Your Yesterday," which Cher and Georgia actually sang together:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bohiS3QPuoo.  Hopefully, before it reaches Broadway, Georgia's role will be beefed up a bit:  it's a shame that Emily Skinner's talent is really wasted in the version that I saw in Chicago.  She basically serves as an echo chamber reminding Cher that she needs to "go big" and embrace "being different."

It therefore feels stunningly strange that the book of this musical gives so much space to the role that Cher's mother had on her daughter while completely ignoring Cher's relationship with her own children.  The musical contains plenty of knowing winks in the direction of the LGBT audience that, presumably, the producers (and Cher is one of them) know will flock to her show.  How sad, then, that the most direct link between Cher and the LGBT community -- Chaz -- is completely ignored.  

I certainly wouldn't have expected the musical to focus exclusively on this aspect, but to the extent that the show focuses so much on the mother-daughter relationship, it loses credibility by ignoring Cher's relationship with Chaz.  And, in some respects, it comes across as disingenuous. Not only because Chaz's choices, in some respects, reflect her mother's mantras of "going big" and "being different." Cher would not be who she is today if it were not for the LGBT community:  she is a gay icon.  Every gay person in the audience should be wondering why The Cher Show whitewashes the fact that Cher had serious issues with Chaz's coming out (first as a lesbian, then as a trans man).  Why not address this head on?  Is it fear for the impact this sub-plot might have on the box office?  Is it because Cher hasn't yet actually embraced or accepted Chaz's choices (the latter is a legitimate question in light of the total omission of any reference to this aspect in what is being presented as her life story)?

I seriously hope that the show finds a way to incorporate some reference to this important chapter of Cher's life.  And it wouldn't really take all that much.  For example, a simple scene where the two find a common understanding and Cher sings a reprise of "ALL I REALLY WANT TO DO" to Chaz would be powerfully empowering, not just to members of the LGBT community but to parents everywhere -- including some who will be in the audience -- who struggle with the choices their children make.

I'm pasting in a link to a performance of Cher singing ALL I REALLY WANT TO DO.  Listening to the lyrics and thinking about them as providing context to a scene in which Cher expresses support for Chaz's choices might be a fun mental exercise. "All I really want to do, baby, is be friends with you..."  And if you take the time to look at the link, you'll see that in fact, Cher WAS singing that song as a prelude to a televised segment in which Cher shared the stage with her child and then actually sang it as a duet with Chaz.  There's real drama here and the potential for a scene that is best suited to musicals because of the heightened emotions that are inherent in it.  (Knowing what we know now, there's a certain irony in hearing Cher ask Chaz how she would come out....)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw9T31db9mI

 

Updated On: 6/14/18 at 08:13 PM

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 11:30pm

I'll post more about the show when I get home.  I did take pics with Stephanie J. Block, Angel Reda and Charlie Williams.   In the meantime, here is this:  

Micaela Diamond:  Babe

Lady:  Teal Wicks

Star:  Stephanie J. Block

Sonny Bono:  Jarrod Spector

Georgia Holt:  Emily Skinner

Bob Mackie/Robert Altman/Artie:  Michael Berresse

Gregg Allman/ John Southall:  Matthew Hydzik

Rob Camiletti / Lee:  Michael Campayno

Ensemble:  Marija Juliette Abney, Carleigh Bettiol, Taurean Everett, Michael Fatica, Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Michael Graceffa, Blaine Alden Krauss, Sam Lips, Allie Meixner, Tiana Okoye, Angel Reda, Christopher Vo, Alena Watters and Charlie Williams.  There is one 15 minute intermission.

Standby for Star and Lady:  Dee Roscioli

Understudies:  For Star:  Alena Watters

for Lady:  Alena Watters

for Babe:  Carleigh Bettiol, Tory Trowbridge

for Sonny Bono:  Michael Fatica, Michael Tacconi

for Georgia Holt:  Ashley Blair Fitzgerald, Angel Reda

for Bob Mackie/Robert Altman/Artie: Sam Lips, Ryan Worsing

for Gregg Allman/John Southall:  Charlie Williams, Ryan Worsing

for Rob Camiletti/Lee:  Michael Graceffa, Michael Tacconi

SWINGS:  Amy Quanbeck, Michael Tacconi, Tory Trowbridge, Ryan Worsing

Dance Captain:  Ryan Worsing

Assistant Dance Captain:  Amy Quanbeck

 

 

[gayshark888]

Posted: 6/14/18 at 11:55pm

Saw the show tonight! In case anyone is wondering about the Limited View side orchestra seats, I sat in one tonight and I thought it was fine. It really didn’t feel like I missed anything. It’s a nice alternative if you are unlucky with lotteries (as I am) but don’t want to shell out for the regular priced orchestra seats.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 12:13am

It's only running for a month? I mean, how much work could possibly be done?

[bwayboy22]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 12:44am

Who sings "You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me"? I'd really love to hear Stephanie's interpretation of it. 

[Marlothom]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 1:01am

I think they all do parts of it.  It starts with Babe Cher when her step dad leaves but then the other two Chers join. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 1:40am

Eleonora Duse said: "Well, in the past twenty years, Cher has had to come to terms with her child’s gender reassignment.She has also emerged as an outspoken opponent of the Trump administration and a master of social media.Yet neither of these defining episodes are even alluded to in this production.In fact, although the audience is given a brief glimpse of Cher nursing Elijah Blue, her son with Gregg Allman, Chaz isn’t given a single second of time on the stage nor is his name ever uttered.

I agree that her child should be included but I don't see understand the suggestion that Trump or twitter should be included. Politics aside, they don't seem like elements of a show that will age well and presumably the hope is that this will run for a few years. Also, to put it mildly, her tweets aren't always the most coherent.

I'm thrilled at the reports about the costumes. This is becoming a must-see for those alone.

I am disappointed to hear, Eleonara, that you feel like the show is mainly structured around her relationships with men. Maybe they should have played up her professional accomplishments more. Aside from the music and the glamour, that's what I think of when I think of Cher. The long recording career, the TV show, the movies, etc.

[rosemonday]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 10:59am

My friend won the lottery so it looks like I'm going tonight!

To those of you who won the lottery - how was the view from the front row? I'm a little scarred after seeing Hamilton front row in Chicago - the stage was so high it was nearly impossible to see. 

Will report back after!

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 11:43am

The front row at the Oriental is more user friendly and not bad at all.  You will get a very good look at all of the costumes and the actor's expressions.  Enjoy!

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 11:50am

I must have missed that Dee Roscioli was the Standby for Star & Lady Cher! Good choice.

[FanofGreen]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 12:17pm

Have not seen the show yet.  Very excited to be doing so next month.  Enjoy reading all the comments from those who have seen it, however.  So, thank you for your posts!

Just a thought about the show content, or lack thereof.  It is called the Cher "show" - not the Cher life story.  It is centered around the production of said show, correct? I'll be fine with not delving into all the political and social drama.  Goodness knows we have enough of that in our lives day in, day out.  For me, a night of musical theater is to escape the everyday world and revel in the joy and beauty that music and dance provide.  Just my dos centavos.

I can understand how true Cher devotees or those who feel she represents something that is particularly important to them might be a bit disappointed, however.  So not trying to diminish your disappointment.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 6/15/18 at 1:26pm

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cXhVn5vbqcKo3dRc7    Here are some pictures from "The Cher Show".

[Lil Crazy]

Posted: 6/16/18 at 4:13am

B U M P ...

      would like to know more from those folks who have seen this show. Can anyone expan on SJB’s performance?

[h6p8gv]

Posted: 6/16/18 at 7:31am

ANybody have a song list