“The Beat Goes On” Tribute to Cher comes to the Niswonger Center Saturday.
VAN WERT — Lisa McClowry might not look like Cher in her normal life, but when she steps up on stage in full makeup and costume, like she will at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Niswonger Center, she said the audience will feel as if they are in the room with the best-selling living legend.
“The Beat Goes On” Tribute to Cher will see McClowry take the audience from the Sonny and Cher days through six decades of music to today.
“It’s all about the audience,” McClowry, who has been performing as Cher since 2017, said. “And we love to bring excitement and joy to the room and share it with everyone. We’re going to bring six decades of hits, eight costume changes, a wonderful live band and humor.”
The audience will be able to expect “the walk, talk and the look” from the Broadway-style live stage show and McClowry said she expects everyone to enjoy it.
“It’s empowering,” she said. “It’s joyful. We actually do some music from Abba, which resonates with the more mature crowd, but Cher’s music is so great because it has come back to the younger listener as well. It’s feel-good music and it’s empowering and people will let go. And that’s what it’s all about.”
It takes a great deal of work to become Cher. McClowry said that she has to sit in makeup that she puts on herself for two hours.
“In person, I don’t look anything like Cher, but with highlighting and contouring, I can change my entire appearance with wigs and costumes,” she said. “I have to change my walk and talk to sound and look like her. I’ve studied her a long time and done a lot of acting and singing since I was a kid, so it’s just a wonderful acting role where I get to be outrageous and bring to life up close and in person the artist for people who might not be able to see Cher in person, and I’m out there as a big Cher fan myself.”
It means a lot for McClowry to step into those shoes.
“I was born to sing and act and to be able to share that with a roomful of people who are having a good time is very fulfilling,” she said. “To play the role of Cher, I look at it as an acting role. I certainly don’t think I’m Cher and I want to represent her well and get her music out there to more people at a very personal level so it’s an honor to be able to do that and play this fascinating person on stage.”
To stay up to date on the show and McClowry’s music, check out her website. Tickets for the show are on sale now on the Niswonger Center website.
Reach Jacob Espinosa at 567-242-0399.
