Three women who are set to play different eras of Cher in an upcoming musical each say the role is a dream come true.
The Cher Show, presented by Theatre South Productions, will cover three eras of the Believe hitmaker's life through high-energy choreography, glamorous costumes and a witty script from Rick Elice.
Jenny Carmichael will play a younger Cher, while Aimee Gibson will cover the Sonny and Cher Show era, and Lizzie O’Hara Gibson will play the icon at the height of her fame.
“I couldn’t believe I got the role,” Lizzie, from Helensburgh, said.
She continued: “It took me a long time to get over the shock; I thought it was a joke. It was a dream role for me because it was an iconic role in an iconic theatre with two of the best people, I could imagine doing it with. This role became a dream come true for all of us.”
Jenny, from Uddingston, said: “I have always loved Cher, and after doing some digging on her, I wanted to audition.
“Over the last year, I built the role up in my head so much that it turned into a dream part.”
Aimee, also from Uddingston, added: “This is my first principal role with the company, so it is really exciting to be playing this part.”
The women have become incredibly close as preparations for the production get underway and have even created a group chat called Cherapy.
Lizzie said: “When the three of us are rehearsing, we often say we are going to cry because we get on so well and, of course, the material is quite emotional.”
Aimee agreed, adding: “There is definitely magic when the three of us are on stage together.”
From perfecting the low-range voice to the confident persona, the three pals have been dipping into old videos and interviews of Cher to prepare for the role - and they have found out some interesting things about the icon.
Jenny said, “It’s funny watching old clips of her because you wouldn’t even know who it was without seeing the video. It seems she became more stereotypically Cher as time went on.”
Meanwhile, Aimee said: “I didn’t fully know how funny Cher is until I watched clips from The Sonny and Cher Show. She isn’t afraid to have a laugh and take the mick out of herself a little bit.
“Cher was very much ahead of her time. She was a strong, independent woman, long before that was normal.”
Lizzie added: “A lot of my lines in the show are taken directly from lines that Cher has become famed for. I think the audience will be excited to hear those famous moments on stage.”
As the actors are learning more about Cher, Jenny said the audience will too, from Cher’s dyslexia and tough adolescence to the bullying she experienced.
She added: “People will see Cher in a completely different light. I felt I knew Cher quite well until we started learning the script for this show, and there was so much that surprised me about her.
“She hasn’t had an easy run of it, and the production shows how she bounced back from that. Whether people are fans or not, they will find her admirable.”
The show will run from June 10 to 13 at the Theatre Royal, which the trio find ‘mind-blowing’.
Lizzie said: “Performing a show about a real-life icon is quite daunting. It’s a big challenge, but it’s exciting.”
Aimee added: “We have all been to the Theatre Royal at some point, to see big productions touring and to think that will be us up there is mind-blowing.”
Tickets for The Cher Show are available from www.atgtickets.com/shows/tsp-presents-the-cher-show/theatre-royal-glasgow/
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