Detroit — The icon, the diva, the legend is the story of Cherilyn Sarkisian in the Tony award-winning musical “The Cher Show” playing at the Fisher Theater in Detroit from March 19-24.
The musical began when she was a child. Actually there were three women who portrayed Cher: the child (Ella Perez), the pop star (Morgan Scott), and the Cher we know now (Catherine Ariale). Cher’s parents divorced when she was an infant. Her mother Georgia Holt (Lucy Werner) then raised her. At about 12, Cher dreamed about being a star. When she was 16 years old, she met Sonny Bono (Lorenzo Pugliese), whom she later married. Record producer, Phil Spector noticed them and together they rode the wave to pop stardom.
In 1971, Sonny & Cher starred in their own TV show called “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.” They wore outlandish clothes, hair and makeup. Their off-the-wall comedy routine entertained audiences of all ages. Bob Mackie (Tyler Pirrung) eventually changed her look which was full of sequins and sparkle.
However, behind the scenes, Cher and Sonny’s marriage was rocky. Sonny’s control of her took over, and she didn’t like it. They eventually divorced. Shortly after, Cher saw Greg Allman and said “Are you from Tennessee, because Ten is what I see!” A relationship ensued and four days after her divorce from Sonny, she married Allman. However, that didn’t last long, only four years, then she divorced him also, due to his drug abuse.
Cher’s next project was to focus on acting. She made her Broadway debut and received critical raves. She made several movies and won an Academy Award in 1988 for Best Actress in “Moonstruck.” Eleven years after receiving her Award, tragedy struck Sonny Bono in a skiing accident. She spoke at his funeral. Soon after, her hit “Believe” became number one and the biggest hit of her career. She says she’s not done yet.
During the course of the musical, she sang many of her big hits including “Turn Back Time,” “Gypsy, Tramps and Thieves,” “Half Breed,” “Strong Enough,” and of course, her first hit with Sonny “I Got You Babe.”
There was a 20-minute intermission between the Acts. There was also strobe lights and fog throughout the performance. If you like Cher, like I like Cher, you will love this. I thought it was great.
“The Cher Show” performances are as follows:
Wednesday-Friday at 7:30 p.m. performances
Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. performances
Sunday matinee at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. performances
Tickets start at $46 and can be purchased for the Fisher Theater located at 3011 W. Grand Blvd. in Detroit at BroadwayinDetroit.com or at the Fisher Theater box office.
