Born in Yorkshire, Danielle Steers is best to known to West End audiences for originating the role of Zahara in the wildly popular Bat Out of Hell: The Musical. More recently Danielle took on the role of Catherine Parr in the global phenomenon SIX by Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow, and is now set to embark on her first UK tour, playing Cher in the highly anticipated The Cher Show.
But Danielle nearly walked away from a career in the arts after graduating from drama school, “I’d been for so many auditions, and I kept getting to the finals and getting told no, and it was just heartbreaking.” Says Danielle “I didn’t know how much longer I could keep doing it, and was ready to give up, but I persevered and ultimately ended up bagging two West End jobs.”
When it was announced that The Cher Show, already a success in the US, would be coming to the UK, Danielle knew she wanted to be a part of it, “I just thought I have to be in this show, like there’s no like other option, I have to be in it. So, when I got offered the job, it was like a release.”
“I was thrilled because I love Cher, and I love singing her songs, they just fit so lovely in my voice, it’s where I’m happiest singing.”
The show charts the life of Cher in three stages; Millie O’Connell plays Babe, which is the younger Cher, Debbie Kurup plays Star which is the older Cher, and Danielle plays the stage in between as Lady.
“Lady is the iconic 70s Cher, where she’s got the really long hair with the centre parting. She takes us through the Sonny & Cher show era, all the way up until the divorce of her and Sonny.”
Danielle is delighted to be playing this particular part “I get to add a whole different range of emotions, because I’m portraying a very dark part of her life where she realised that men were taking the mick out of her, basically. She learned to stand up for herself. So it’s quite the journey that I have to get through in my bit of the show and it’s going to be a challenge for me, but I’m really up for it. I’ve never done anything like this before, so I’m really excited to dig into those gritty dark parts of her life.”
Although the story is told in three stages, Danielle says that the three performers portraying Cher interact with each other throughout “our whole rehearsal process we’ve been together, which has been really nice and finding time to sing together so that we can all have a unified sound, and just really nailing that, because we have to be as one person.”
And Danielle has appreciated having Millie and Debbie to share the role with, “I think from Debbie, it’s the feistiness and the strength from the older Cher. And then from Millie, she’s got the vulnerability, and I can draw on that from her.”
While everyone thinks they know Cher, Danielle points out that the cast were surprised by some of the material covered in the musical, “I didn’t realise how much she’s been through. I think you find that with a lot of big artists, Cher is so resilient, she gets knocked down, she gets laughed at and she just keeps coming back. She’s the ultimate fighter, and I admire that so much.”
“She’s had her highs and low, low, lows. I didn’t know any of this, I thought she’s just been around forever, she’s just always been a star and that’s not the case. Like going from winning an Oscar, to two years later filming a hairspray commercial for QVC, like that’s some drop. But she’s back on top and she’s an incredible woman.”
Playing Cher from the seventies means Danielle has some added perks in the role, “I’ve definitely got some cracking costumes, yes.” Laughs Danielle, “I mean, Cher didn’t really wear that much on stage, so that’s a little bit scary. But our costume designer Gabriella Slade, has done the most amount of work to make sure that we all feel comfortable in our costumes, and that no one’s wearing anything that they don’t feel comfortable in.”
Of course, The Cher Show is packed with memorable Cher hits, and Danielle struggles to choose a favourite, “If I had to pick one, it would be ‘Song for the Lonely’, which I get to sing with the other two Chers, and it closes act one. I just feel so many emotions when we sing the song. I think it will be one of those goosebump moments every night.”
The Cher Show is directed by Arlene Phillips and has choreography by Oti Mabuse, and Danielle loves working with them, “Arlene and Oti bring such energy into the rehearsal room, and it starts from them. If they come in and they bring the energy, then it comes through into us. They really care about the project, and that’s so important.”
And with Arlene and Oti at the helm, audiences can expect some incredible dancing in the show, “the ensemble dances are phenomenal” says Danielle, “I don’t know how they’re getting all those moves into such small beats, but they’re doing it, all while moving sets, they’re doing a fabulous job.”
Danielle knows that playing Cher will be a challenging role, but is excited to get out on the road, “This is my first big UK tour, so I’m terrified! But I’m sure we’re going to have a lovely time, I’m also very excited because I’ve not really travelled that much, so I am very much looking forward to having my days out where I go exploring.”
Whether you’re a fan of Cher or not, Danielle says this show has someone for everyone, “I would say you think you know Cher, but you don’t until you see the show, you get to see a whole different side of her, how vulnerable she is. So you’re going to laugh, you’re going to cry, you’re going to want to get up dancing, you’re just going to feel all the feelings and ultimately end with a big party at the end and you’ll be having the best time.”
The Cher Show, starring Danielle Steers, is at Leicester Curve 15th – 23rd April and will then tour, full listings and ticket information can be found here.
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