Morgan Scott, above, is Star and Tyler Pirrung, Below left, is Bob Mackie in The Cher Show. now in stage at The Winspear.
Cast members turn back time in ‘The Cher Show’ musical
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com
With Broadway being Broadway, you best “Believe” a musical about Cher was bound to happen — and thank the gay gods. The jukebox musical The Cher Show A New Musical opened in New York in 2018 and garnered two Tony Awards for lead actress and costume designs by none other than Bob Mackie. Now on the road, the diva-centric musical opened Thursday, Dec. 14, in Dallas for a three-day run at the Winspear as part of the Broadway at the Center series.
Cher is a big person with a big life, so of course it would take three actors to play her. Actor Morgan Scott takes on the pop icon version of Cher we all know and worship.
“This feels like a dream. It takes three of us to make up the entire icon of her,” Scott said. “It’s so ridiculously amazing and stunning to turn on this diva quality day-to-day that my own life does not consist of.”
Along with her Cher, she is joined by actors Catherine Ariale (“middle” Cher with Sonny) and Ella Perez (“babe Cher”). They play the various versions, but they are also intertwined with each other throughout the production.
While they all take on the icon, Scott does want to remind audiences: “We don’t look alike and don’t necessarily look like Cher, but we are identical in our character, so that there is a link among us. We are not a tribute show. We represent Cher, and I think the highest compliment I was ever paid was someone telling me after the show, ‘I see Cher.’”
The ironic bit about playing a legend and icon and queen and all the titles is that Scott found how Cher is also just a human being. She has the same struggles as many people, only on a bigger scale. This was eye-opening to the actor who is currently “living” with Cher.
“They are still dealing with fear and acceptance which are things we can all identify with. After all the spectacle, all that’s left is this person — just like me at the end of the day,” Scott said.
Growing up, Scott was quite familiar with Cher from The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour on TV Land. But when she saw the video for the radio hit “Turn Back Time,” that changed the game for the actor.
“That video was everything, and my sister and I had that on repeat,” she recalled. “There was just something so cool about her, and I hadn’t even realized her impact before that. Plus, I also just loved the movie Mermaids.”
But the question remains: How is it playing this queer icon?
“I cannot overstate the honor. As an ally myself, this is amazing, and learning about her experience with queer culture and family is inspiring,” Scott said. “She’s a beacon.”
Despite the title of show, one icon isn’t enough for this production. Tyler Pirrung plays Bob Mackie, the fashion designer who helped make Cher who she is today.
“To play such an icon has been a conversation in the process,” the out actor said. “What’s nice is that the director didn’t want impersonations, even though I was watching videos of him in interviews and working, I could also just play this human being to focus on the deep friendship he had with Cher.”
To be part of the Cher-niverse has been nothing but love and understanding, said, Pirrung calling the show a visual feast, first and foremost.
“Getting to go out there every day and tell his story is incredible. But in act one, I feel selfish as my character because there’s a whole fashion parade of the most stunning creations by the man I am playing,” Pirrung said.
But like Scott, he has found the humanity that Cher herself has outside of the spotlight and also why she means so much to the community. He says that the show doesn’t hammer any rainbow references into the audiences is in itself just inherently so gay.
“So gay,” he stressed. “The queer community can very easily identify with who she is by the obstacles she had to overcome. When they sing ‘Song for the
Lonely,’ I get chills because it’s really a powerful anthem for anyone who feels pushed aside and marginalized. For me, those moments make me feel special to be telling this story.”
OK, but that’s it?
“Well it is a big gay disco fantasia, too,” Pirrung added.
The Cher Show a New Musical runs Dec. 14-16 at the Winspear. For tickets, visit ATTPAC.org.