The Cher Show
Theatre Royal Brighton
1st – 12th November 2022
Cher is undoubtably one of the biggest icons of our time, with a dazzling career spanning more than 5 decades. She holds a multitude of awards including Emmys, Grammys and even an Academy Award. Her path to stardom was, of course, not straightforward so whilst it is not surprising there is a biographic jukebox musical about her life currently touring the UK, it is quite a mystery why it took so long.
The Theatre Royal Brighton last night was buzzing even before the curtain went up. Cher famously once said “All of us invent ourselves. Some of us just have more imagination than others.” Rick Elice who wrote the book to the show, expands this idea, and portrays Cher with no fewer than three different actresses each depicting a different stage in the diva’s chequered life.
Cher’s early years are portrayed by the vivacious Millie O’Connell, this is where the young Cher meets Sonny Bono and is introduced to show business, her career takes off and everything seems rosy. Danielle Steers picks up the baton when work becomes all-consuming and marital cracks start to show, the later years are covered by Debbie Kurup. All three ‘Chers’ share the stage throughout the show, cleverly enabling us to see the many facets of Cher.
Although the script was informative to a point, it was obviously written with a love and respect to the artist as some of the grittier parts of her life were airbrushed or completely missed out. This is probably for the best, as I would say that the majority of the audience were present for the music. And it is 100% worth going for the music. The trinity of Cher’s all had powerhouse vocals and immense stage presence. They were supported admirably by the rest of the ensemble, in particular Guy Woolf (Sonny) and Tori Scott (Georgia). The whole production directed by Arlene Philips is slick, camp and thoroughly entertaining. We couldn’t wait to be up on our feet at the end.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reviewer: Sammi O’Neill
Photo Credit: Pamela Raith