The Sonny and Cher Show

Sonny and Cher open with “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You),” with Sonny in a violet suit and Cher in a flowing off-the-shoulder dress. Their banter takes a self-aware turn as Sonny marvels at their lack of post-divorce arguments, prompting Cher to quip that they split up and became “America’s happiest couple.” They joke about their show’s Italian success before Cher mocks Sonny’s hand gestures, leading to an inside joke that makes her exclaim, “I’m gonna punch you in the face!” The night’s centerpiece, “Sappy Days Musical,” parodies Happy Days, flashing back to Laverne’s teenage years in the 1950s, with Frankie Avalon playing her love interest. The skit humorously predicts rock and roll will last forever, includes covers of “Rock Around the Clock” and “Jailhouse Rock,” and foreshadows “Laverne & Shirley” and “Welcome Back, Kotter.” In “The Prisoner” sketch, Rocco (Sonny) worries about finding his place at home after 17 years in jail, only for Cher’s character to reveal she now lives with “Bernie, since Lenny moved out.” Their concert duet, “Two of Us” / “We Can Work It Out,” is a highlight, with Cher, now visibly pregnant, dressed in a stunning black one-shouldered pantsuit and casually tossing her mic—at one point, an earring falls mid-song, making her and Sonny smile. Gabe Kaplan plays a “Joke-a-holics Anonymous” member, compulsively cracking jokes despite Sonny’s failed interventions. Cher’s solo, “Say It Isn’t So,” features her in a massive tiger-print gown, surrounded by flickering candles in a visually striking performance. The “Charlie Brown & Lucy” segment introduces “Monday Night Ballet,” a spoof on Monday Night Football, with Sonny and Cher performing a hilariously disastrous Swan Lake, as Gabe Kaplan and Frankie Avalon provide Howard Cosell-style sports commentary, replaying Cher slapping Sonny in slow motion. A misfire follows with “Hawaiian Story”, a spoof of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby movies, featuring Avalon and Kaplan stranded on an island, with questionable costume choices best left in the past. The show closes with “I Got You Babe,” where Sonny yells “Hit it!” and Cher warily replies, “I don’t trust you tonight.”