‘THE CHER SHOW’: Stephanie J. Block (center) & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE CHER SHOW
Book by Rick Elice
Directed by Jason Moore
Choreographed by Christopher Gattelli
Neil Simon Theatre
250 West 52nd Street
(877-250-2929), www.thechershowbroadway.com

By David NouNou

There is so much to enjoy in The Cher Show that it is a shame they couldn’t get it absolutely perfect, and there is a valid reason. The major difficulty is Cher is a living legend with a career that has spanned almost 55 years. You get to see her ups and downs, her hits and her misfires but throughout it she has always seemed to be the most resilient person in show business. The woman has led 100 lives and it is impossible to compress all of it adequately into a two-and-a-half-hour format.

There are three ladies playing Cher: Star, the older Cher magnificently portrayed by Stephanie J. Block. Lady, the young adult Cher admirably played by Teal Wicks, and Babe, the starter Cher simulates a young Cher. There is always a problem when your central character is portrayed by three different actresses; case in point the abysmal Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Whereas that musical bio was offensive and inaccurate in so many ways, this show aims to deliver the goods and please. However, like that show, it is very difficult to sustain interest in three people portraying different stages of a diva’s life. One can capture the look, one can capture the sound, or one can capture the essence. An incredible feat but Ms. Block meets all the requirements.

Rick Elice’s book attempts to encapsulate this legend’s lifetime but ends up being a bit schizophrenic. It is clever, smart and witty but also comes to a screeching halt in scenes when the three Chers are talking to each other and giving each other advice at different stages in their respective lives. It would have worked so much better if just older Cher commented/narrated about the different stages of her life and didn’t interact with the other two but merely observed and commented while the other two played their parts and finally the three would merge as one triumphant, legendary Cher.

When there is an extensive songbook as voluminous as Cher’s, it is difficult to juggle a musical to fit historically with the songs that the artist did in a proper chronological order. A lot will drop by the wayside, some will be marginalized, and then you have ballads that bring you down from the euphoric high from the previous scene. Believe me, there are many gleeful scenes; to mention just a few the Bob Mackie fashion parade is a show-stopping eye popper. “Dark Lady,” a song usually song by Cher, is given to Sonny (Jarrod Spector), Cher’s first husband and Svengali and Greg Allman (Matthew Hydzik), her second husband, as a sing-off on who will ultimately win Cher back, but the real dazzler in the number is the dancer Ashley Blair Fitzgerald; she’ll have you jumping out of your seat.

All the highlights are here: the songs, her mother Georgia Holt (Emily Skinner) who imbues her daughter with confidence, the men in her life Sonny Bono, Gregg Allman, and even Rob “the bagel boy” Camilletti (Michael Campayno), the costumes, the glitz and the boys. There is something to be enjoyed by everyone.

Another major problem here is the pacing. For every showstopping number, it quickly fizzles into the trio of women talking to each other and ultimately a dirge ballad is sung, thus bringing the proceedings down and you have to climb back up. The problem here is Jason Moore’s direction. Usually Mr. Moore (who directed such Broadway hits as Shrek and Avenue Q) is always on top of things, but the narrative and execution here needs fine-tuning. Why? When dealing with a blockbuster story about such an icon, the unfolding of the plot must always be concise and should never be allowed to lag. Go big or don’t bother. He had the wonderful choreographer Christopher Gattelli to assist him and a great ensemble of dancers at his disposal that could have kept the proceedings sparkling all night long.

Besides Bob Mackie’s costumes, there is the indomitable Stephanie J. Block. The woman shines in her best musical performance to date. Just go see the show, overlook the weak spots and be prepared to be dazzled.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 7, 2018
Reviewed at December 6, 2018 press performance.

‘THE CHER SHOW’: (left to right) Teal Wicks, Stephanie J. Block & Micaela Diamond. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Jarrod Spector & Micaela Diamond. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Jarrod Spector & Teal Wicks. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Jarrod Spector as Sonny Bono. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Micaela Diamond & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Michael Berresse as Bob Mackie. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

Cher performs onstage with the cast of ‘The Cher Show’ on opening night at Neil Simon Theatre on December 3, 2018 in New York City. Photo: Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for The Cher Show

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‘FALSETTOS’: Christian Borle & Andrew Rannells. Photo: Joan Marcus

FALSETTOS
Book by William Finn
Music & lyrics by William Finn & James Lapine
Directed by James Lapine
Through January 8, 2017
Walter Kerr Theatre
219 W. 48th Street
800-982-2787, www.lct.org

By Scott Harrah

The individual turmoil of characters, their neuroses and raw emotions, sung via melodic songs, are all at the heart of this superb revival of the William Finn-James Lapine musical. Falsettos remains a fresh, authentic slice of unconventional New York life, despite the fact that its characters lived decades ago. It originally appeared on Broadway in 1992 as a package of two earlier off-Broadway plays, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland. Although parts of this mostly sung-through musical depict the troubles of another era, this outstanding production never feels dated.

Part of the show’s timelessness must be attributed to the stellar performances by a cast of Broadway veterans, but Mr. Finn and Mr. Lapine’s story about Marvin (Christian Borle), a man who wants to have it all (a wife, a child, and a male lover), was truly ahead of its time, written long before marriage equality and tales of nontraditional families became commonplace

The show opens in 1979 with Marvin about to leave his wife Trina (Stephanie J. Block) for a man, Whizzer (Andrew Rannells). Marvin and Trina’s young son Jason (Anthony Rosenthal) is caught in the middle of the maelstrom.  Meanwhile, the family’s psychiatrist Mendel (Brandon Uranowitz) starts a romance with Trina. In addition to the obvious LGBT theme, Falsettos also relies heavily on celebrating the Jewish New Yorker sensibility, particularly in the opening number “Four Jews in a Room Bitching.”  In fact, one of the reasons why the show holds up so well in 2016 is because it’s far more than merely a musical chronicle of a dysfunctional family and homosexuality. Everything from chess playing to Little League baseball is thrown into the mix. David Rockwell’s clever, simplistic sets frame everything wonderfully, with a cartoonish Manhattan skyline and what appears to be a giant 1980s Rubik’s Cube (remember them?) that is gradually taken apart at times to depict different settings.

Much of the narrative unfolds through song, and although Mr. Finn’s music and lyrics are repetitious at times, most songs are infectious and reveal each character’s feelings and frustrations vividly. One of the show’s best moments is Stephanie J. Block belting out the showstopper “I’m Breaking Down,”with lyrics that are humorous but also reveal her heartbreak when she sings, “He’s a queen/I’m a queen/Where is our crown?” 

Other highlights include “Marvin at the Psychiatrist (a Three Part Mini-Opera),” in which Marvin sings (along with Mendel, Jason and Whizzer) about all the reasons he needs psychotherapy.  In “March of the Falsettos,” all four male characters sing, in the titular falsetto voice to match Jason’s prepubescent tone, about the different aspects of masculinity.  Here it’s done cleverly with the guys all sporting fluorescent clothes, frolicking under black light. Pointless perhaps, but still great fun to watch.

While the first act focuses on family dysfunction, Act Two takes us to 1981. Marvin has split up with Whizzer and now lives next door to two lesbians, Dr. Charlotte (Tracie Thoms), an internist, and her lover Cordelia (Betsy Wolfe), a caterer specializing in “nouvelle” kosher cuisine.

Soon Whizzer becomes ill and enters the hospital.  At the same time, Marvin and Trina are nagging Jason about how he wishes to celebrate his bar mitzvah. To give any more detail would spoil the bittersweet twist of the tragic ending, but the final songs are some of the best, including Whizzer’s “You Gotta Die Sometime” and Marvin and Whizzer’s “What Would I Do?”

Mr. Borle makes a big departure here from his comic roles in Peter and the Starcatcher and Something Rotten as the self-absorbed, hopelessly neurotic Marvin.  Mr. Rannells, of Book of Mormon and Girls fame, is equally effective as Whizzer, and emotionally powerful in the show’s final songs.

The show’s biggest asset, however, is Stephanie J. Block.  Although she’s established herself on Broadway in a number of roles, Ms. Block gives the performance of her career as Trina, and she’ll certainly be a contender for all the awards in the spring. There is a haunting sincerity to Ms. Block’s Trina because, in every song she sings, from “I’m Breaking Down” to “Trina’s Song,” one feels her character’s helplessness in everything from her mannerisms (particularly the hilarious way she slices up a banana) to the beautiful, plaintive tone in her vocals.

Director James Lapine understands the scale of tragedy that was so rampant in AIDS-era New York, and his direction highlights the humanity, quirks and vulnerabilities of these characters’ lives and sheds humor and truth on them without coming across as heavy-handed.  Perhaps that’s why Falsettos can now be called a true classic.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 7, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on November 6, 2016

‘FALSETTOS’: (left to right) Betsy Wolfe, Andrew Rannells, Christian Borle & Tracie Thoms. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘FALSETTOS’: Stephanie J. Block & Brandon Uranowitz. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘FALSETTOS’: Betsy Wolfe & Tracie Thoms. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘FALSETTOS’: Anthony Rosenthal & Christian Borle. Photo: Joan Marcus

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