More 'Chernanigans' on the way: Cher musical to visit Ireland in 2022
The Cher Show which will open at the Leicester Curve on April 15, 2022 and tour Britain and Ireland
Choreographer Arlene Phillips says her "dream has come true" to direct the European premiere of a musical about the life of pop superstar Cher.
The former Strictly Come Dancing judge, who is a lifelong fan of the singer, will direct The Cher Show and will be joined by Strictly professional dancer, Oti Mabuse, who will create the choreography, and Gabriella Slade, who will create the costumes.
The show, which has already been a hit on Broadway, features some of Cher's biggest hits, including , , and .
It charts her rise from a young child with big dreams to the dizzying heights of global stardom, and documents her relationships with her mother, singer Sonny Bono, and fashion designer and costumier Bob Mackie.
Cher herself seems to have enjoyed her most recent visit to Ireland in 2019.Â
She was here to perform her sold-out Here We Go Again! World Tour in the 3Arena and posted an instagram picture of herself in front of the Oscar Wilde statue in Dublin's Merrion Square.Â
She wrote: "THANKS IRELAND 🍀 LOVE OSCAR🙌🏻gotta go, you won’t have anymore Chernanigans for a little while".
News of the musical comes shortly after it was announced that Cher will also get the big screen biopic treatment and will serve as a producer on the film alongside Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman, known for their work on the franchise, in which the singer has appeared.
Phillips said: "I am just over the moon that I am actually going to work on a show about someone who I've idolised since the mid-60s with .
"I just fell in love, I wanted to dress like Cher, look like Cher, definitely sound like Cher, which I did not and could not, but it's the ultimate show for me. I remember on a black and white TV seeing Sonny and Cher and I think it was the sound of her voice. It's a sound that raises the hairs on your arms and tingles your spine."
"And for me that was Cher, that soulful, pop sound that just digs into you, drives into you. You have kind of no clue, you don't quite understand how it can make you feel so thrilled and excited."
Phillips, who has worked on music videos for music superstars including Tina Turner, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin, said she is yet to meet Cher.
She said: "It would be my absolute dream to meet her, but I've always missed out. I have made music videos for just about every pop diva, all these strong female singers, but never Cher, our paths haven't crossed. When I started making music videos for MTV, at the start of the MTV revolution, I worked pretty much with three directors constantly and Cher was never in their path, but I would love to do something with her."
"It's not about dancing. It's about presence. It's about the walk. It's about the stance. That inner determination. So that would be really nice. But right now my dream has come true in directing the show."
Mabuse said: "My mum is a big Cher fan and I just remember us playing songs, like , and feeling so empowered as little girls and being in wonder of her outfits and her looks and the confidence that she had.
"To be asked to actually choreograph her musical, it's such an honour, because you get to really play a part in what you kind of feel her life should have looked like in dance, making all of those music videos, all of those concerts, all of those behind the scenes stories come to life."
- The Cher Show will open at the Leicester Curve on April 15, 2022 and tour Britain and Ireland.
