Cher tribute comes to Piano Bar

CHER is often referred to as the Goddess of Pop, so it makes sense that a tribute to the entertainment star carries the same name.

Bendigo people will get their chance to experience the music when the Goddess of Pop show comes to Piano Bar Bendigo, in Hargreaves Street, on Saturday 3 August.

The Melbourne-based act comprises an ensemble of musicians and dancers with a purpose-built set and glamorous, true-to-life costumes.

The band performs Cher’s best-known songs from her start in the music industry in 1963 up to the present day.

Madeliene Axiak is Cher, and along with husband Richard Nguyen has been presenting the show since 2019.

Axiak said she and Nguyen take Goddess of Pop as far and wide as demand requires, although the lineup is never static.

“It’s a big production with a multitude of people on stage and behind the scenes,” she said.

“Depending on the size of the venue or the request of the host, determines how many performers are on stage.”

Active in both music and movies, Cher has enjoyed consistent popularity across seven decades.

Some of her big hits include If I Could Turn Back Time in 1989, The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) in 1990 and Believe, from the 1990 album of the same name.

In 1988 she won the Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in the film Moonstruck.

Axiak and Nguyen are both graduates from the Australian College of the Arts, where they met, and have studied further at the Melbourne and La Trobe universities.

Together they formed Madz Got Rich in 2016, offering live band, floorshows and corporate performances, and DJ and MC options.Doors for the 3 August show open at 6pm, with the performance starting at 7pm. Tickets are available at pianobarbendigo.com.au. The venue will offer a full menu until 8.30pm, and holders of paid tickets can stay on after Goddess of Pop for music from a pianist and singer.