Physician playwright debuts new Cher musical at NYC reunion

Dark lady played black magic 'til the clock struck on the twelve
She told me more about me than I knew myself

Members of SIU School of Medicine’s Class of 1995 were given a unique opportunity to see Broadway-level entertainment up close during a Destination Reunion in New York City in June 2025. In addition to reconnecting with old friends and enjoying the excitement of a visit to the Big Apple, they would be the first to see a staged production of a new musical created by one of their own. 

Dark Lady tells a multi-generational story of love, struggle and perseverance, set to the evocative music of Cher. Michael Sheedy, MD, a family physician in central Illinois, has developed the story over a decade.
 
For two weeks in June, the show was workshopped by a seasoned creative team and professional cast, culminating in an invitation-only presentation at New 42 Studios. Classmates, family members, friends and potential backers filled the room, watching with rapt attention as Sheedy’s long-held theatrical vision came to life. 

Family first 

Growing up as one of five children in Chatham, Mike Sheedy had no dreams of becoming a playwright. School, sports and small-town activities filled his days. Evenings included quality time with his mom, following her 3-to-11 shifts as a lab technician at St. John’s Hospital. When a fifth-grade teacher sparked his curiosity in studying human anatomy, Sheedy told his mother that he might like to become a doctor. With her encouragement, he buckled down to pursue it.

After earning an undergraduate degree in biological sciences and chemistry at Southern Illinois University, he enrolled at SIU School of Medicine in 1991. During medical school, Sheedy found his passion for family medicine. 

“I understand the appeal of specialties, but I didn’t want to be doing one thing all the time. And I’m a people person,” he said.
  
Fast-forward about twenty years. The family doc now has a family of his own—five children with wife Gloria—and a busy practice in his hometown a few miles south of Springfield. 

One afternoon in 2012 while on a drive with two of his teenage daughters, he played a song they’d never heard, by an artist unfamiliar to them: Cher’s Dark Lady. The sisters were in search of music to perform as a skit at a friend’s birthday party. Fans of ABBA’s jukebox musical Mamma Mia, they could see the dramatic potential in the song’s love triangle. With Dad’s assistance and some rehearsals, the skit eventually took shape and became a hit at the party.

The 3½-minute musical creation had struck a chord with Sheedy. He listened more intentionally to Cher’s catalogue, and was soon envisioning a story of interconnecting songs from the Grammy-winning icon’s seven-decade career. Over a long weekend, he outlined a plot.

The play’s the thing 

Dark Lady is set in the American South in the early 1900s, and follows Queen, a young gypsy traveling with her fortune-teller mother, preacher father and two best friends—a free-spirited blond and a fiery, fiddle-playing redhead. After receiving an ominous prediction, Queen is forced to make a devastating decision that alters the course of her future. With Cher’s songs interspersed, the play is rich with romance, timespan leaps, plot twists and a showstopper or two.

His pet project accomplished, Sheedy’s real life and work responsibilities resumed, and eventually overlapped. In 2015, Mike and Gloria converted part of their rural Loami home and property into Sheedy Shores WineGarden. The seasonal business ran from April to October each year, offering domestic and craft beers, bourbons and wines from around the world. It closed in 2023 so the couple could focus on growing family needs. 

Sheedy again had time to tackle lingering projects. He dusted off the dormant Dark Lady script and set about getting it produced. 

He enlisted Tony-award-winning Ken Davenport as executive producer. Their first challenge was to acquire the rights to Cher’s songs, which are owned by a multitude of songwriters and publishers. Davenport connected Sheedy to a music licensing company. The legal process took about 18 months, ultimately securing permission to use 25 songs spanning Cher’s career.

Funding soon followed, from an unexpected source.

Frank Vala (at left above), a longtime patient of Sheedy’s and a central Illinois philanthropist, listened as Sheedy spent two hours telling Queen’s story during a home visit. Vala, who with his wife Linda donated $1 million in 2022 to establish an endowed chair in urology at SIU School of Medicine, agreed to become the principal investor. 

“It’s amazing to me — it’s usually the doctor who helps the patient. In this case, it’s the patient helping the doctor,” Sheedy said.

With financing in place, a creative team came together that included Broadway veteran director and choreographer Sara Edwards and general manager Evan Bernardin. Music director Sonny Palladino has worked with artists including David Foster, Sting, Neil Diamond and Alicia Keys. The workshop cast featured Rashidra Scott, an understudy for Nicole Scherzinger in Sunset Boulevard, and Jacob Dickey, who recently completed a four-year run as the lead in Aladdin.
 

If you can make it there

Catching up with classmates one evening in a text chain, Sheedy mentioned that he’d be in New York City in June for the Dark Lady workshop. Michelle Sims, MD, an ophthalmologist in Naperville, was intrigued. 

“Can I come see it?” she asked. Sheedy said he’d love for her to be there and give feedback. 

When she asked, “How many people can come?” he said, “As many as you want to bring.” 

His motive was less than noble. “Truthfully, I’d rather have my friends tell me it’s a piece of crap than put it in front of all of New York and have the audience and critics say, ‘This is terrible.’”

Sims took the idea and ran with it. She contacted SIU Alumni Relations Director Cassie Mattson and asked if the class could plan its 30-year reunion in NYC to overlap with Dr. Mike’s playdate. The idea was warmly embraced, and the stage was set.

The reunion would feature a walking tour of the city, with dining and socializing at neighborhood restaurants. The linchpin was the 11 a.m. presentation at the New 42 Studios in Times Square.

Coming at the close of its two-week workshop, the Dark Lady cast was polished, ready to hit their marks and “turn back time.” The live performance used a professional sound system that heightened the experience. 

Two songs in, Sheedy was moved to tears. 

“It was so amazing seeing something I created brought to life,” he said. He mentioned it was possibly the most emotional experience of his life, until his wife reminded him of their wedding day, their children, and that he’s been a doctor for 30 years. 

“So I probably shouldn’t say that. But I gave birth to this. She understands.”
 

Trusting the team

As in medicine, Sheedy valued the power of collaboration in the workshop. The Dark Lady script had evolved over the years as he refined it. Once completed and ready to produce, he had what he considered the best version. Then he went to New York and met the creative team. 

“I’m the principal writer. They gave me their opinions and input: ‘Hey, how about this?’ ‘Why don’t we shorten this part?’ ‘Let's do a mashup of these two songs.’”

Sheedy realized some humility was in order. “I thought I knew everything, but I’m from outside the industry.”
 
In the end, the teamwork paid off handsomely. “Now it’s so much better than even what I imagined,” he said.

His classmates agreed.

Fellow family physician Bob Farmer said, “You know I told you I don't like musicals. That is a damn good musical.” 

Gail Melendres, a general surgeon in Delaware, was even more direct. She told Sheedy she was ready to invest.
 
On a group text later in the trip, ENT surgeon Diane Shirley-Davis reported seeing the Broadway production of Sunset Boulevard. Her capsule review: “It was good, but it wasn’t as good as Sheedy’s.” 

The novice playwright was moved—again. 

“Obviously, I would expect them to say some kind words. But they were all over the top. My mind was just blown.”

At the conclusion of the exciting reunion in NYC, the physician’s fanbase gathered one last time. A semi-private room was set up, complete with dueling pianos, at Haswell Greens in the heart of the theatre district. And naturally, Cher was the most requested artist as the classmates danced into the night in the city that never sleeps.
 

Gaze into the crystal ball

With the first staged production complete, Sheedy is eager to see things go further. 

“I want to entertain people and get their reaction. I think as a writer, you’re always looking for some kind of affirmation or validation that what you created is good. Now I've caught that fever. I'm thirsty for more.” 

The next target is organizing a three-week workshop in the spring, with a price tag of roughly $350,000. Sheedy would like to attract more investors. If the workshop is a success, the cost of mounting an off-Broadway production increases tenfold, to $3 - 4 million. Capitalization to produce a show on Broadway is in the neighborhood of $20 million.
  
What’s in the cards for Dark Lady? 

A wise fortune teller might predict that the future is unknown, but with the right amount of passion and the right people around you, the prospects always look bright. The physician storyteller may yet shine on a larger stage.