Superstars come and go. Cher is forever. The proof? A new musical, aptly titled The Cher Show, which uses the song diva and Academy Award-winning actress’ hit tunes to tell her story, has debuted on Broadway to rave reviews. Three women play the unstoppable force (the kid starting out, the glam pop star and the icon) that’s been breaking music barriers and pushing beauty boundaries for six straight decades.
The task of creating Cher’s most memorable hair moments fell to hair and wig designer Charles LaPointe, who says he fashioned at least 130 wigs, when you include the swings and covers. “The looks needed to work on the actresses, yet still reference Cher herself,” says LaPointe. “The work, itself, was both easy and difficult—getting the color and texture right, framing the face correctly, taking what you know and basically throwing it up in the air and seeing where it lands. We would come up with looks, then all get together, assess, shift and adjust until everyone was satisfied. It was a very collaborative process. And working with [costume designer] Bob [Mackie] made it very easy,” adds LaPointe, who describes Cher’s hair with these three words: iconic, theatrical, Cher.