THEATRE REVIEW: The Cher Show - The Opera House, Manchester

'The Cher Show' - it does exactly what it says in the title: it shows you Cher, and is a show about Cher! Only, in this instance we get not one, not two, but three Chers! In fact for any fan of the iconic diva, this is an absolute must-see; and for those of you, like me, who went more out of curiosity and for a little light entertainment; then you too will be sated by this upbeat and non-stop show.

The three Chers: Babe (Millie O'Connell), Lady (Danielle Steers), and Star (Debbie Kurup), represent the different stages in Cher's life and career, but they are all on stage more or less continuously and interact with each other as real people throughout. All three, to my somewhat limited knowledge of Cher, sounded and looked like their alter-ego; but I have been reliably informed (by my companion and those seated close to me) that the middle Cher, Danielle Steers, was just a slight cut above the other two in terms of vocal likeness. Not that that mattered, not in the least - all three were ovation-worthy, and the audience was up on its collective feet dancing and singing to the extended finale.

Presented between an array of costume rails and wigs, the set items move in and out seamlessly as the show simply doesn't pause for breath the entire evening. The ensemble dancers and singers were flawless, dressed throughout in black and sequins (as were the two Chers who were not "alive" at the time of the scene - clever!) These three Chers also have the vast majority of the singing in the show too. Gregg Allman (Sam Ferriday) gets a solo in act 2, whilst Sonny (Lucas Rush) has the duets with her in the first act. My only (slight) critique is that many of the songs do not get a full outing. We hear only a few lines or a chorus of them before they cut out or are interrupted by dialogue. A personal preference would have been to have had perhaps fewer songs, but had the complete versions of them.

The show takes you through Cher's life and career at breakneck speed - and so concentrates on the more seminal moments and her singing career [her acting career merits a sideline mention and a rather awkward audition scene]. We get the highs and the lows, and Cher is presented as a very strong and independent lady, despite her reliance on men. Although as the show implied - it was, at that time, a male dominated industry and a woman on her own would have had great difficulty succeeding - so Cher went ahead and succeeded!

'The Cher Show' was directed by Arlene Phillips and choreographed by Oti Mabuse; two names with long and illustrious associations with contemporary commercial music, choreography, and theatre. And this was an excellently crafted show, which obviously needed a lot of thought and dedication, as well as a love of Cher and her music, to bring it to fruition, which deserves an audience's appreciation. I knew little to nothing of Cher's background until this evening, and I have certainly learnt much by watching this show. 

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall

On - 17.5.22