Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Most celebrity-driven jukebox shows settle for belting out the hits and selling cocktails at intermission; the current Donna Summer show goes this route. Others - such as Carole King's "Beautiful" or even "Jersey Boys" - are more ambitious, focusing on intense emotional engagement and identification. "The Cher Show," which is written by the very talented Rick Elice and features a song suite as musically eclectic as the name on the marquee, will work only if it does both."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...To be clear: The jukebox musical, which serves as a survey of the life of the iconic singer, works on nearly every level. There is a bit of refining still to be done by book writer Rick Elice and director Jason Moore, and a pre-Broadway tryout affords them the time and place to do just that."
Daily Herald - Somewhat Recommended
"...Unfortunately the overlong, inconsistent "Cher Show" needs some tailoring, beginning with the conceit that drives the first act and is all but abandoned in the second. Written by the ever-clever "Jersey Boys" writer Rick Elice and directed by Jason Moore ("Avenue Q"), the musical opens during a rehearsal for a fictional, TV variety special about Cher's life. Unhappy with the opening number, the Star (the formidable Block, the oldest of the Chers, who commands the stage every second she's on it) calls for a change. That sparks a consultation with her younger selves: Lady, the 30-something TV star (the vivacious Wicks) and the teenage Babe (a vulnerable Diamond), a backup singer whose life changed when she met songwriter Sonny Bono, played with authentic nasality by the superb Jarrod Spector."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...The cast is strong-especially Michael Berresse as Mackie and Micaela Diamond as the youngest of the multiple Chers. But when this thing goes to Broadway, the Carole King show, Beautiful, will be playing nearby. See that."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...True to its name, The Cher Show knows how to do Cher and put on a show. Beyond that, it’s not trying to be anything else. There’s plenty of Cher there, there just isn’t much there there."
Around The Town Chicago - Recommended
"...Another musical is getting its "jump-start" in Chicago! It seems as if New York producers are now realizing the value of the best of theater audiences, those in Chicago! The latest to join the ranks is " The Cher Show", the story of Super-Star Cher and her rise to being that someone special she is. With a book by Rick Elice, the story takes us from Cher's teen years, meeting Sonny Bono ( Jarrod Spector has him down to a tee), Gregg Allman ( deftly handled by Matthew Hydzik) and Rob Camilletti (Michael Campayno).. We learn of her poverty as a child, her rise to stardom thru Sonny and the way that he supposedly took all of the money, while she was the true star."
WTTW - Recommended
"...Of course the Cher story is innately retro in terms of the many pop culture periods it evokes. But the musical's overall style of storytelling fails to give it much of a fresh life. Ultimately, it is the enduring affection of Cher's many fans that supply the necessary sense of immediacy and emotional engagement."
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Recommended
"...The surety of this diva's self-confidence and drive is among the key reasons patrons should find a way to see this production in progress. To be sure, when it returns to the Windy City during or following its Broadway engagement, The Cher Show will be different than it looks and sounds this summer. That underscores Chicago's importance to the incubation of new musical theatre."
Chicago Theater and Arts - Recommended
"...A “jukebox musical,” the book is by Tony Award winner Rick Elice. He presents the story through an interesting concept that somewhat shows what Cher wanted to do and what she did do during each phase of her life. The vehicle is having three actresses portray Cher’s different stages – but not separately. They interact with each other."
Picture This Post - Highly Recommended
"...The production features a score of Cher’s music, and while many of the songs are presented as if Cher or one of the performers is putting on a show in venues such as Las Vegas or on the Sonny and Cher Show, there are also moments that the music is creatively weaved into the storytelling."
