Review: THE CHER SHOW PRESENTED BY THE GATEWAY PLAYHOUSE at The Patchogue Theatre

The Gateway certainly has another hit on thier hands with their current offering; the Long Island premier of The Cher Show. Indeed, this is a spectacular way to start winding down this beautiful Summer season. Running through September 11 at the beautiful Patchogue Theatre, this production has an extraordinary cast and the greatest songs pop music has to offer fills the score.

Created by Jersey Boys scribe Rick Elice, we follow the pop legend from the early days in her career to roughly the late 1980's/early 1990's; the ups, downs, and in betweens.

Wonderfully directed by David Ruttura, this tale is cleverly told. The role of Cher is played by three super talented people. Madeline Hudelson portrays Cher from the 1950s and 60s called Babe, Charissa Hogeland portrays Cher from the 1970s called Lady, and Aléna Watters portrays Cher from the 1980s and 90s called Star. They serve as narrators, interact with each other as the story unfolds, and help each other out at various points. The teamwork and chemistry among these women is inspiring and will leave you smiling. Also, as you can imagine, each song brings thunderous applause from the enthusiastic audience. In truth, I could go on and on (and on!) about the cast, but just know that each and every member of this company is brilliant.

Of course Cher is also a fashion icon, so let's talk about the spectacular costumes. Folks, in this production we are graced with the presence of the Tony winning Bob Mackie costumes from the Broadway production. As the kids say... OMG. They are absolutely dazzling and a special shout out to costume cordinator Allison Schmidt. It's as if the costumes become another character in this story.

On the clever creative team, Andy Walmsley's set is well done. It's an open stage and rolling pieces are utilized for seamless scene transitions. You'll love the catwalk that goes into the audience, too. This is heightened by Ethan Steimal's superb lighting design and, of course, there's nothing like a live orchestra. Headed up by Charlie Reuter, the excellent orchestra sounds incredible. As for the score, you will hear some of Cher's biggest hits. This is including "I Got You Babe", "Believe", "Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves", "Half Breed", and "I Found Someone" among many others and the emotional roller coaster of a story is truly gripping.

And so, The Cher Show presented by The Gateway at the stunning Patchogue Theatre is definitely a must see for this season. A gripping tale, a stellar cast, and the bustling Patchogue area make for a thrilling night of theatre. I'll end simply by saying get your tickets now, babe.

Photo by Jeff Bellante

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