THEATER REVIEW: Camelot shines ‘Spotlight on Sonny & Cher’ (copy)

Published 1:04 pm Monday, January 15, 2024

My father opened the door to the nondescript, boxlike Goldstar Recording Studio in Hollywood, with me, a starry-eyed, energetic teenager in tow. Engineer Stan Ross ushered us into a soundproof room. My father, an L.A. Times writer, was there to interview Sonny and Cher, a young couple who were beginning to make a name for themselves among the pop music elites emerging in 1965, and who had already had their second big hit, “I Got You Babe.”

You couldn’t miss them — Sonny in his trademark white mohair vest and Cher with her long, black hair, hoop earrings and bell-bottomed jeans — suddenly appeared behind some microphones, and my father’s notebook came out.

On this particular afternoon we were there to watch them record a single, “Have I Stayed Too Long?” the somewhat winsome ponderings of a boy and girl at a party, who feel their relationship is over. Written by Sonny (who penned several of their hits), backed with some impressive orchestral effects and that echoey, “we’re just down the hall” sound they were becoming known for, it wasn’t a hit. It wound up on the “A” side of a 45 record that only made it to No. 49 on the charts. But even then — one could tell the distinctive pairing on vocals, the nasal, raw starkness of Sonny’s voice blending with Cher’s incredibly expressive contralto, along with their distinctive call and response style — were beginning to make their mark.

It wasn’t until later my father revealed his daughter had been brought along to draw out the almost pathologically shy Cher. It hadn’t worked. My father spent most of the session with Sonny, who, in his Italian manner was gesturing, smiling and displaying enough energy for both of them. It wasn’t my father’s nor my impression, however, that Cher was in Sonny’s shadow back then. It was more like, even though she had found her voice, she just hadn’t found her confidence — yet. And as we all know, she eventually “snapped out of it” emerging as one of the most beloved, opinionated divas of all time.

With “Spotlight on Sonny and Cher,” now playing at the Camelot Theatre in Talent, you can travel back in time and get a pretty good idea of what the musical climb to the top was like for the duo. That’s because Juliana Wheeler as Cher and Ryder Kole Emerson as Sonny inhabit them so well.

There’s no doubt, Cher commanded a large presence on stage, but Sonny understood this and so rather than puff himself up, he played Hope to her Crosby, Amy Poehler to her Tina Fey, Dickie Smothers to her Tommy — and it worked. Ironically it was that edge, the banter and their ability to play passive-aggressively off one another that got them through a myriad of performances and two somewhat successful TV shows in the ‘70s.

One would not necessarily expect Wheeler to become Cher, after all she is an actress who has made her way from Ashland to New York, starting her own theatre company — Thicket and Thistle — and who is writing a musical based on the ambitious Lady Macbeth. Yet, Wheeler is just that talented. She has the voice, the vibrato, the Cher swagger, the air of confidence. If you love Cher, you’ll love her.

Emerson, a talented, multidisciplinary performance artist and Oregon Shakespeare Festival actor, has captured the “aw shucks,” easy-going, endearing way with which Sonny often expressed himself.

Emerson’s voice is complimentary and blends well with Wheeler’s. Emerson plays Sonny more meekly than he actually was, but there’s room for interpretation here. As far as height goes, well, Cher was actually only 2 inches taller than Sonny’s 5 feet, 5 inches, but there’s room for that, too. A convincing demonstration of their affection for one another as husband and wife, however, seemed to be missing.

Writer and director Todd Nielsen and the production team have recreated a feel for the ‘60s by presenting a story and TV studio trappings that are evocative of that time. There are orange and yellow psychedelic, kaleidoscopic effects and repetitive images thanks to video designer Jonathan Pratt, balanced sound engineering by AJ Ark, and effective lighting by Ronan Kilkelly and Grace Bennett. Although Cher’s signature bell-bottoms are not worn in this production, the Bob Mackie-type, knock-off gowns are “fabulous, darling.” Sonny’s ‘70s-era disco shirts, jean jackets, belts and pastel pants are “right on” too.

Once again, the in-house, now-recognizable ensemble of musicians is superb, making “the beat go on” through 27 musical numbers that flow from one to the other with ease. Having played together on several productions, these musicians are developing their own ‘60s and ‘70s sound. The musicians are: Reed Bentley, percussion; Karl Iverson, keyboard; Ryan Johnson, bass; Bill Scholer, guitar and Larry David Smith, bass understudy. Music director Reed Bentley has done an admirable job of pulling it all together without a note out of place.

There’s no doubt, Cher is an incredible talent. She went on to star in films, won an Oscar, revived her musical career several times, won three Golden Globes and Grammys galore. Sonny was not a great singer, but no worse than Dylan. He wrote songs that may not contain the best lyrics but were catchy enough that we’re still singing them today. Sonny went on to have a diverse career, first as a restaurateur and later as Mayor of Palm Springs and Republican congressman.

As far as the story of Sonny and Cher goes, their relationship, like many rock musicians, was far more complicated, antagonistic and ultimately tragic than this musical anthology reveals. Sonny on some level always had a sixth sense that Cher would find stardom and outgrow him. It haunted him, and at times caused him to be controlling and even vindictive. But he also loved Cher and created the launching pad from which her career would soar. “Spotlight” may not show the more unpleasant sides that arise when egos collide, but it certainly does help us understand the chemistry that brought them together in the first place.

“Spotlight on Sonny & Cher” will be on the Camelot Theatre stage, 101 Talent Ave., Talent, at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays, through Feb. 4. Tickets are $20-$38. Tickets and information, including special performance dates, can be found at camelottheatre.org or by calling 541-535-5250.