CLOTHES MIGHT MAKE THE MAN,
BUT NOT THIS SHOW

Costumes were essential to the success of superstar Cher. She and her singing partner and husband Sonny Bono first burst on the music scene in the 1960s in the brightly colored bell-bottoms and fur vests of California’s emerging hippie culture.

Madeline Hudelson (Babe) and Frankie Marasa 5th (Sonny Bono)

Later in her career, she became known for her extravagant costumes and shows featuring multiple costume changes. The jukebox musical The Cher Show at the North Shore Music Theatre capitalizes on the fact that it has permission to replicate the original Bob Mackie costumes, replete with feathers, furs, sequins, and spangles. I would have liked the parade of costumes toward the end of Act One to have occurred more slowly so we could actually see and savor the extravagance of these creations!

Frankie Marasa 5th (Sonny Bono) and Charissa Hogeland (Lady)

There are some terrific dance numbers in the show as well, including an incredible performance of “All or Nothing” in which men leap over one another from a prone position. We see Cher progress from a singer to a Las Vegas comic to a television host to an accomplished actress in numbers such as “All I Ever Need Is You,” “Strong Enough,” “The Beat Goes On/It Don’t Come Easy,” and “A Dream Is a Wish.”

Charissa Hogeland (Lady)

It’s nice to see Cher’s mother Georgia (Angie Schworer, a breath of fresh air as Lucille Ball, as well) portrayed in a positive and constructive light.

Angie Schworer (Georgia Holt) and Madeline Hudelson (Babe)

In the end, however, the glitz and the glamour is not enough to sustain the nearly three hours of this show. Three different women play Cher at different stages of her life (influenced perhaps by a similar technique in Fun Home?). Unfortunately, Sara Gettelfinger’s (Star) attempt to mimic Cher’s unique contralto flops. The timbre of her voice sounded more like Dolly Parton (if Dolly Parton were an alto).

Sara Gettelfinger (Star)

While it’s interesting to see young Cher (Madeline Hudelson, the best of the three Chers) struggling with dyslexia, building a determination to become a star, and pursuing Sonny Bono (well-played by Frankie Marasa 5th), the details of multiple failed relationships and repeated struggles with Bono lack any kind of narrative shape or drive.

Madeline Hudelson (Babe) 

The book would have done well to take a page from Evita’s “Goodnight and Thank You” to portray these in a single dance number. I was lucky to go to this show with a real Cher fan who loves her music but found that the ins-and-outs of Cher’s struggles with romance were ultimately boring while many of the more interesting aspects of Cher’s life, such as her fraught relationships with her two children, were left untouched.

Brenton Cosier (Gregg Allman) with Sheila Jones

photos by Paul Lyden

The Cher Show
North Shore Music Theatre
54 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA
Fri and Sat at 8; Sat & Sun at 2
2 hours and 45 minutes
ends on November 2, 2025
for tickets ($75-$95), call 978.232.7200 or visit NSMT

for more shows, visit Theatre in Boston