Cher - No Turning Back

On the eve of her new Broadway musical, Cher opens up to Abby Aguirre about a singular life filled with love, failure, loss and success beyond imagination

Have you ever stopped to think about Cher? You are aware of her, of course, the way you are aware of the sun, with its blinding light, its rising and setting. But have you ever considered the totality of Cher—not just the celestial body herself, and not just the epic arc she has traveled, but the sheer range of stellar explosions she has undergone?

Let’s review. She became famous as half of Sonny and Cher in 1965, at the age of 19. They sold millions of records, morphed into a lounge act, then drew more than 30 million viewers a week on their hit show, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. Cher launched a solo career on the side, releasing three number-one singles: “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves,” “Half Breed,” and “Dark Lady.” After divorcing Sonny in 1975, she starred in her own damn TV show, thank you very much, which was called—what else?—Cher.

Many more Chers followed. There was Disco Cher, Roller-Skating Cher, Punk Cher, and Rock ’n’ Roll Cher. There was also, in the ’80s, Best Actress Cher, who starred opposite Meryl Streep in Silkwood, Jack Nicholson in The Witches of Eastwick, and Nicolas Cage in Moonstruck. She rounded off the decade with one of her biggest hits yet, “If I Could Turn Back Time,” introducing the world to Battleship-Thong Cher. She has long been regarded as a fashion icon. Cher was the first megastar to wear a “naked dress,” and she did so in the ’70s, four decades before Rihanna, J-Lo, and Kim Kardashian.

In fact, we are currently in the early stages of a new version of Cher. Did you notice how July’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again cameo segued into September’s surprise ABBA tribute album? Those amuse-bouches will soon culminate in The Cher Show, a jukebox musical set to open on Broadway this month.