eas(Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center, Orlando FL) Last night in the Walt Disney Theatre of Dr. Phillips, 'The Cher Show' held its opening night performance, kicking off the first night of a 6-night show run, and it was wonderful!
The Tony Award-winning biopic musical lasted just over 2.5 hours, contained 35 amazing songs which spanned over 6 decades of Cher's career, and was a dazzling display of costume replicas that once adorned the singing diva, and showcased 3 powerhouse singers, each representing Cher at specific time periods of her life.
The vocal harmonizations of the 3 Cher actresses was mind-blowing. Each of these wonderful talents was phenomenally talented. I think what made each of their performances even more special was that it was acutely obviously that each singer had amazing range and outstanding power; yet, they managed to each sing with the deep tonal quality and unique vocal diction inherent to Cher. I was amazed that when the 3 weren't harmonizing, and simply all singing the same note, that it literally sounded like the same voice x3.
The musical is a walk-through of Cher's life, from her childhood days prior to all of her fame. The show touches on Cher's relationship (or lack thereof with her father), and how her biracial identity and struggles with dyslexia impacted her professional and personal lives. We were also introduced to her quest for stardom, her life with Sonny Bono and their 'Sonny and Cher' show, and some of the other romantic relationships that existed beyond Bono. The show also covered the birth of her children, and conveyed her strong preference to a more meager life in lieu of being able to be with her children.
The show is told through the perspectives of 3 variations of Cher:
I have watched many wonderful performances, and have to say that the level of performance from the '3 Chers' was most impressive. The show opened with Star Cher singing 'If I Could Turn Back Time', which immediately brought in the 3 Chers to complete the song in beautiful unison. Another standout piece was a ballad style arrangement of 'Believe' toward the end of Act 1. 'Just Like Jesse James' drew out the sexiness from the ensemble dancers who punctuated this song.
Lorenzo Pugliese portrayed the role of Sonny Bono. He was also excellent. When he talked, he sounded like Sonny; when he moved, he looked like Sonny; when he sang, it was exactly like we were watching Sonny! I'm glad we were able to have his voice highlighted during 'Dark Lady', a battling duo between him and 'Greg Allman', played by Mike Bindeman. There was some exciting rival-chemistry between the 2 on stage, which was fun to watch and listen to.
While I fully enjoyed the 3 Chers and how in sync they were with each other, I need to make special mention of Ella Perez (Babe Cher). She was absolutely phenomenal! Her facial expressions throughout the performance were captivating, as her face is just wonderfully emotive and expressive. I kept finding myself having so much empathy toward her character, because she conveyed so much innocent vulnerability with each second she was onstage, while she maintained extremely confident vocal performances during her solos.
This was such a great show, demonstrating the power of perseverance and determination, despite anyone's background. Cher's story is an impactful one, as it is identifiable and relatable, although hers is not a story that has been able to easily be replicated. I was very excited to hear so many wonderful opportunities for the singers of this show to showcase their talents, and am thrilled that the performers in last night's show excelled on so many levels.
Great story, outstanding performers, and a wonderful experience. Go check this one out before it leaves Orlando in a week!
(Photos provided by Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center)
Bailey Guinigundo
The Tony Award-winning biopic musical lasted just over 2.5 hours, contained 35 amazing songs which spanned over 6 decades of Cher's career, and was a dazzling display of costume replicas that once adorned the singing diva, and showcased 3 powerhouse singers, each representing Cher at specific time periods of her life.
The vocal harmonizations of the 3 Cher actresses was mind-blowing. Each of these wonderful talents was phenomenally talented. I think what made each of their performances even more special was that it was acutely obviously that each singer had amazing range and outstanding power; yet, they managed to each sing with the deep tonal quality and unique vocal diction inherent to Cher. I was amazed that when the 3 weren't harmonizing, and simply all singing the same note, that it literally sounded like the same voice x3.
The musical is a walk-through of Cher's life, from her childhood days prior to all of her fame. The show touches on Cher's relationship (or lack thereof with her father), and how her biracial identity and struggles with dyslexia impacted her professional and personal lives. We were also introduced to her quest for stardom, her life with Sonny Bono and their 'Sonny and Cher' show, and some of the other romantic relationships that existed beyond Bono. The show also covered the birth of her children, and conveyed her strong preference to a more meager life in lieu of being able to be with her children.
The show is told through the perspectives of 3 variations of Cher:
- 'Babe' (played by Ella Perez) represented Cher of the 1950s and 1960s during her youth before all of the fame.
- 'Lady' (played by Catherine Ariale) represented confident Cher of the 1970's, at the early onset of her show business career.
- 'Star' (played by Morgan Scott) represented the more experienced and mature version of Cher during the 1980s and 1990s.
I have watched many wonderful performances, and have to say that the level of performance from the '3 Chers' was most impressive. The show opened with Star Cher singing 'If I Could Turn Back Time', which immediately brought in the 3 Chers to complete the song in beautiful unison. Another standout piece was a ballad style arrangement of 'Believe' toward the end of Act 1. 'Just Like Jesse James' drew out the sexiness from the ensemble dancers who punctuated this song.
Lorenzo Pugliese portrayed the role of Sonny Bono. He was also excellent. When he talked, he sounded like Sonny; when he moved, he looked like Sonny; when he sang, it was exactly like we were watching Sonny! I'm glad we were able to have his voice highlighted during 'Dark Lady', a battling duo between him and 'Greg Allman', played by Mike Bindeman. There was some exciting rival-chemistry between the 2 on stage, which was fun to watch and listen to.
While I fully enjoyed the 3 Chers and how in sync they were with each other, I need to make special mention of Ella Perez (Babe Cher). She was absolutely phenomenal! Her facial expressions throughout the performance were captivating, as her face is just wonderfully emotive and expressive. I kept finding myself having so much empathy toward her character, because she conveyed so much innocent vulnerability with each second she was onstage, while she maintained extremely confident vocal performances during her solos.
This was such a great show, demonstrating the power of perseverance and determination, despite anyone's background. Cher's story is an impactful one, as it is identifiable and relatable, although hers is not a story that has been able to easily be replicated. I was very excited to hear so many wonderful opportunities for the singers of this show to showcase their talents, and am thrilled that the performers in last night's show excelled on so many levels.
Great story, outstanding performers, and a wonderful experience. Go check this one out before it leaves Orlando in a week!
(Photos provided by Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center)
Bailey Guinigundo
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