After attending back-to-back performances of ‘Hamilton‘ and ‘To Kill A Mockingbird‘ I wasn’t expecting to be especially moved or impressed by ‘The Cher Show’ but like the titular character herself, it proved to be surprisingly powerful, as well as glitzy, ridiculous, glorious and sublime. Calling it a juke-box musical may be a disservice, as that misses the important arcs that find their way into the piece, as well as discounting the nifty way the songs and re-purposed to tell the roller-coaster story of Cher’s life (thus far).

Attending the show with my Mom made for an interesting comparison: she recognized all the older songs, while I (being a latter-day Cher fan late to the party) knew more of the stuff from recent years. The show is the perfect bridge between generations, blatantly evoked by the three versions of Cher that inhabit the stage at various moments.

Musically, it’s not a chronological telling of her story through her songs, and that may be key to its success. By positing the thematic essence of her musical selections at key points, it allows for a more varied, though ultimately unifying, exploration of her extensive songbook, while injecting all the life it can into the narrative. Case in point is the exhilarating mash-up of ‘When the Money’s Gone’ and ‘All Or Nothing’~ two relatively recent cuts that perfectly set up Cher and Sonny’s journey to success. While their relationship is core and integral to the story (some might argue it’s the heart of the show), it is ultimately a tale of empowerment, survival, and inspiration. And that can only be accomplished by one.

Holding center-stage in a stand-out performance is Stephanie J. Block as Star ~ already nominated for a Tony Award. She is the archetype Cher, the overriding embodiment of wisdom and grace that this powerhouse of stardom has become. At once world-weary, jubilant, defiant, and sage, she commands the proceedings while knowing the exact moments of when to let her counterparts shine. As Babe, Micaela Diamond channels the younger, unjaded Cher as she grows up with an uncannily-wise mother (Emily Skinner) and meets the most interesting person she’ll ever meet in her life, Sonny Bono (Jarrod Specter).

Mr. Specter makes for a charming Mr. Bono, whose appeal was based both on comedic knacks and an unconventional charisma. While he was clearly blessed with the vocal prowess Sonny could only dream of achieving, Specter wisely and convincingly gets into Bono’s voice, and his charm, making his romance with Cher believable and endearing. After Sonny, Lady Cher comes into her own, as Teal Wicks bridges the emotional wreckage between young love and more seasoned romantic experiences.

When the three Cher characters strut the boards together, it is a Cher fan’s ultimate fantasy, and a self-aware nod to vanity and ego, because without them she never would have gotten to where she is. Countering the simple fact of that is the winning and winsome ways Cher’s own insecurities and disbelief in herself contributed to her widespread appeal. Even as she was blamed for breaking up Sonny and Cher, even as she stumbled into infomercial damnation, and even as she struggled to find her next big success (hello vocoder!) her perceived failures ended up being as inspiring as her improbable run of triumphs.

Is this a perfect musical? Not by any stretch, and it doesn’t pretend to be. Lacking a strong narrative, it’s more of a series of vignettes, some disjointed at best, but it never detracts from the emotional heft of the show. Is it a damn good time? Most definitely. Add to that the incredible talent on stage at all times (there really isn’t a weak link among them) and the cumulative effect is an enjoyable theatrical experience that prides itself on sparkle and spectacle over high-brow serious intent.

Befitting that, the costumes are delightfully scene-stealing characters in and of themselves. Nods to Bob Mackie’s brilliant alchemy with Cher as his muse infuse the entire evening, and the show must have single-handedly kept the bugle bead industry humming nicely for a few months. (There is a jaw-dropping fashion sequence that must be seen to be believed.) Someone once referred to those costumes as feats of engineering, and they truly are. Defying expectations and sartorial mores, they manage to elicit the notion that less is more at the same time that more is more, and when garish meets glitter, the resulting grandiosity is an amalgamation of sass, beauty, decadence and divinity. Cher pioneered the splashy awards show appearance, establishing the red carpet as a moment and event of much more than a means to a promotional end. Those outfits are as much a part of her enduring legacy as ‘Moonstruck’ or ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’.™ Never let anyone try to fool you into thinking that fashion is frivolous, and ‘The Cher Show’ honors that sentiment on a broader scale.

It never gets mean or bogged down by pesky technicalities, and while nothing is too deep or complex, this is more than just a celebration of Cher ~ it’s a celebration of life, of music, of some of the most memorable songs of this last half-century. Of course, for any Cher fan, even a casual one, this is a must-see. My Mom and I left feeling utterly enchanted, entertained, and more than a little empowered. That’s the mark of a good musical ~ it lifts you up, it raises your spirits, and it leaves you feeling a little bit better about being in the world. If we allow it to be, sometimes that’s enough.

How do you faithfully transfer a classic and much-beloved novel to the stage and convey the precise charm and power of the original? You don’t. It simply isn’t possible, especially with the writing and weighty school-taught history of Harper Lee’s practically-perfect work. Rather than attempt a straight-forward translation, Aaron Sorkin wisely reinterprets, to a minor extent, the story of ‘To Kill A Mockingbird,’ bringing it into the modern-day lexicon and leaning on the powerful parallels with today’s volatile social climate. Yet far from removing the grace and tenderness of the original, it translates its overriding themes into our cynical and, some might rightly say, evil times while keeping the story very much of its own era. It’s both telling and tragic to see how some things haven’t changed very much.

A noble yet deceptively-subtle star-turn by Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch provides the bedrock foundation around which his children and the story at hand tread delicate, damning steps. When that foundation reveals cracks and fissures, and the steadfast archetype of Atticus gets shaken more than he did in the original book, it reveals the shifting tectonics of all the time that has gone by since its first publication, as well as a more complex reading of a character we all thought we knew so well. The doubly-nuanced layers of this lend the production its pristine sparkle and compelling relevance.

Daniels gets the star status here, but rather than going the easy route with showy theatrics or affably robust stalwartness, he underplays with almost infuriatingly-restrained nuances, occasionally mumbling what I’m hoping were throwaway lines (since I missed a few of them). It’s a genius move on his part, turning much of the audience into the children he so easily vexes with his unflappable and imperturbable conscience ~ like his daughter Scout.

Inhabiting a child’s body that manages to exhibit energy, awkwardness, and grace all at once, Celia Keenan-Bolger is the earnest heart of the piece, one that has to break a little to grow. As she comes of age during the summer at hand, she loses a bit of her innocence, not unlike the country depicted at the time. We all lose a little bit of innocence when faced with ugly realities.

In the world then, as in the world now, violence is ever-ready to descend, even in the unlikeliest of places. The heaviness of it all is not always blatant, but it’s somehow more vicious because of its hidden nature. Seen and sensed in a demolished camellia, a rumpled ham costume, and a broken arm, it seeps into everything, and when it finally explodes with visceral ferocity (as in the moment when Atticus spars with Bob Ewell) the audience finds itself in conflicted, exultant relief. Yet even in the most chilling and tense portion of both the play and the book, as a gang of hooded townsfolk come to deliver their own violent justice to the accused, the idea of violence ~ and the possibility of its eruption ~ is more menacing than any actual act itself. Like the book, this Mockingbird sings of tension and strife that thrives just beneath the surface, constantly threatening to bubble up at any moment. Atticus seems built to steer clear of such churnings, but when it finally reaches his own children, he has his own quiet reckoning.

As Scout, Keenan-Bolger is an admirable foil for Daniels ~ all exuberance and hope and reverence for her father. In his portrayal of Scout’s brother Jem ~ Will Pullen channels fervent, righteous impatience that sometimes boils over into anger. He wants to please his father as much as he questions his steadfast beliefs and methods of doling out justice. Rounding out the kids is a visiting quirky neighbor, Dil, who is impressively fleshed out by Gideon Glick, even given the character’s backseat status.

Much has been made of Calpurnia’s more pointed deviation from her role in the book, and though LaTanya Richardson Jackson ends up heavy-handed in some spots, overall she is the update that this ‘Mockingbird’ needs to make it soar, and such tweaking doesn’t spoil or destroy the intent. Who knows, maybe a privileged audience in today’s world needs such a reckoning?

The play begs for modern-day comparisons, a tribute both to its source material and Sorkin’s masterful update. Is Atticus the precursor or prototype of someone like Robert Mueller? Steadfastly holding true to the methods and laws and beliefs of a system that proves broken in the face of moral complexities and less-than-moral personalities? I’ll leave that for you to decide. This version of Mockingbird is ripe for many readings, and based on ticket sales and audience response (a rabid round of applause was heard whenever someone pushed against prejudice or patriarchy) this version may be the antidote to our troubled times.

The spell of the stage adaptation lies in large part to a stellar cast. It lures you in with its seductive southern drawl, it unarms with a little wit and laughter, and then it pounces with deadly accuracy, aiming right for the heart. It tears down what small bit of hope we might still have in humanity, while building it back up with the smallest of gestures. It’s there in the unsaid and unspeakable support Atticus delivers with a kiss to Dil’s head. The supposed innocence of a child recognizing the voice of a classmate’s father behind a hood of hate. The conflicted and ultimately resigned acceptance of what we can’t change, and the indefatigable audacity of what we might change simply by trying.

In the end, when Atticus is forced to bend his rigid by-the-book beliefs, it is heartbreaking yet affirming. We have to sit with our decisions for the rest of our lives. In the same way we sit beside our past, and sometimes it’s uncomfortable, and sometimes it’s wrong, and when there are no right answers, you do the best with the lessons you’ve been given, the life only you have known, and once in a while you can move your own moral compass, shifting it just the slightest bit, and that has to be enough.