Aléna Watters, Charissa Hogeland and Madeline Hudelson talk about playing the iconic title character in “The Cher Show” at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, which runs from Aug. 26 to Sept. 11. Credit: Jeff Bachner

Portraying an icon can strike fear in the heart of any actor, which is why Stephanie J. Block almost turned down the part of Cher in the 2018 Broadway show. “The idea of playing the gorgeous creature and singular entity that is Cher is beyond intimidating” she said in an interview posted on anthropologie.com. “I’m not your girl — there’s only one Cher.”

Aléna Watters can relate. The Broadway vet will take on the role that ultimately won Block a Tony Award as Gateway presents the Long Island premiere of “The Cher Show” at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts from Aug. 26 to Sept. 11. And she acknowledges there will be nerves. “When there’s somebody who’s a living legend, people are going to have different ideas of how she should be portrayed,” she said in a recent phone interview. “But that has to be let go … nobody is going to be Cher exactly, you just have to bring the essence of this strong, powerhouse goddess warrior.”

Aléna Watters takes the stage as Star, the mature version...

Aléna Watters takes the stage as Star, the mature version of Cher, in "The Cher Show." Credit: Jeff Bachner

THE THREE FACES OF CHER

Featuring more than 30 of Cher’s biggest hits, Rick Elice’s biomusical about the ups and downs of the entertainer’s journey calls on three actresses to portray Cher at different stages of her life. The show is basically structured as a conversation between the three different Chers, says Gateway artistic director Paul Allan. “They talk about what they went through.”

Watters’ character is known as Star, the seasoned, more mature Cher. She’s joined by Charissa Hogeland as Lady — portraying the wild-child singer in the ‘60s and ‘70s — and Madeline Hudelson as Babe, who starts out as the very young, not-yet-famous Cherilyn Sarkisian.

WHAT "The Cher Show"

WHEN | WHERE Aug. 26-Sept. 11, Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, 71 E. Main St.

INFO $59-$89, 631-286-1133, thegateway.org

Hogeland and Hudelson recently performed the same parts in the regional premiere at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine, and are eager to share the stage with Watters, who has been with “The Cher Show” since its initial workshop and out-of-town tryout in Chicago. 

Most recently seen on the Great White Way as the flamenco singer in “Mrs. Doubtfire,” Watters was the Broadway understudy for both Star and Lady. But that was pre-pandemic, when understudies didn’t get the kind of stage time they do these days: she only got to perform Lady twice, never Star.

“I did all of that work and it was pretty devastating to not get the opportunity to shine in that role,” says Watters. She’s a little worried about remembering the lines. "I had it in my brain at some point, but it’s been like four years,” she says. Still, she is excited about finally having the opportunity “to make the role mine.”

With her Broadway experience, Watters had the benefit of some direct contact with Cher during the workshop and when she attended the Chicago tryout three nights in a row, something no one expected.  Cher came backstage after the show and seemed pleased, Watters recalls, telling the cast that “at least I didn’t want to shoot my eyes out.” (Appearing on “The Tonight Show,” Cher told Jimmy Fallon that the performance was sometimes hard to sit through. “There are a couple of parts where I sob every time.”) Struggling to find more inspiring words for the cast, as Watters remembers the exchange, she told them, “don’t be nervous, just be good.”

Reminded that Block found Cher’s voice while wearing Crest White Strips, Watters says she hasn’t required any kind of physical intervention. She says over the years she occasionally played around with Cher’s voice, proving her point by breaking into a convincing “If I Could Turn Back Time,” the show’s opening number. Watching movies and interviews, Watters says she picked up the essence of Cher’s speech patterns, the way she says certain vowels. Plus she had the benefit of watching Block create her version.

In playing Cher at such a young age, Hudelson says the voice came quickly. “Just listening to her, she has a particular placement that came naturally to me.” While Hogeland says she watched hours of videos, it was more about “learning her energy and how she carries herself.” Trying to imitate her voice risked sounding like a caricature, she says, but if you go back and watch “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour,” Cher was “fully in command of herself at all times and that has been the bigger goal for me.”

Charissa Hogeland takes on the role of Lady, the wild...

Charissa Hogeland takes on the role of Lady, the wild child version of Cher in the 1960s and '70s. Credit: Jeff Bachner

ADMIRABLE QUALITIES

All three actresses have nothing but admiration for Cher.

“I came into it already loving her … I grew up idolizing her,” says Hogeland, who plays the version of Cher “I looked up to so much as a kid.”

She’s talking about the years of “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour,” when there was a lot of smart-mouth joking and when Cher was being a mom to Chastity. “I think she’s one of the most interesting people who ever lived,” says Hogeland, who understudied Elsa in “Frozen” on Broadway. “She’s larger than life … and the challenge for me is sticking to the essence that I admire.”

“Getting to be the baby of the three is really fun,” says Hudelson, especially tapping into the shy and insecure side of Cher. Hudelson, a recent college graduate, says she’s inspired by the way Cher’s career has played out. “She’s done so many different things in the entertainment industry and that’s 100% where I want to live.”

“She is who she is,” says Watters. Her aim is to bring her own version of Cher’s story “as it’s filtered through me … I will do my best to honor this woman who’s had this incredible career and who reinvented herself time after time. She’s the queen of transformation.”

Madeline Hudelson transforms herself into Babe, the young, not yet famous...

Madeline Hudelson transforms herself into Babe, the young, not yet famous version of Cher. Credit: Jeff Bachner

THE WAY OF ‘LOVE, LOVE, LOVE’

Having recently completed the run in Maine, Hudelson and Hogeland say audience reception was intense.

“They love, love, love her,” says Hudelson, who doesn’t mind when many in the audience sing along.

But Watters hopes people who see the show take away a more meaningful message. “In our society, especially with celebrities, we just push and go so, so hard and it’s almost like we … have to be super humans.”

She hopes audiences will recognize the humanity of the stars they admire. “We all just want to be loved and share the joy, especially after the pandemic,” Watters says.

One final question — who has the best part? Hogeland believes they all do. The youngest Cher gets to sing “I Got You Babe,” certainly one of Cher’s signature tunes, while Lady revels in the comedy. As for Star, you can’t go wrong playing Cher in the ’80s.

“It’s funny,” say Hogeland. “All three of us think we got the good Cher.”

CLOTHES MAKE THE WOMAN — AND THE SHOW

“The Cher Show” could have just as easily have called “The Bob Mackie Show.” The designer’s more than 50-year collaboration with Cher is a highlight of the musical, with copies of many of her most recognizable outfits making an appearance.

Through a special agreement, the Gateway production has access to the Broadway costumes and Aléna Watters, for one, couldn’t be happier. As the understudy for the role of Star, the more mature version of Cher in the Broadway edition, costumes were made for her. Alas, she never went on and neither did the clothes. “I’ll finally get to wear the costumes Bob Mackie made for my body,” she explains, “and they are stunning.”

Mackie won a Tony Award for his costumes for “The Cher Show,” and audiences will delight in another look at scene-stealing ensembles like the revealing black sequined “Mohawk” number she wore to the 1986 Academy Awards and the sheer “naked” dress worn on the cover of Time magazine in 1975.

But there’s more than just costumes: Mackie is also a character in the show.  “It’s very, very strange,” he told Entertainment Weekly about seeing himself portrayed on stage. Not that they got it exactly right, notes Mackie. “He dresses up a little more than I probably do.”

— BARBARA SCHULER

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