“ a pretty Good Night Out!”
**** 4 Stars
Its staggering to think the motion picture of Pretty Woman was released thirty four years ago back in 1990, a romantic comedy which launched Richard Gear and the gorgeous Julia Roberts to true Hollywood star status and the movie itself would go on to be beloved by a generation.
In 2014 legendary theatre/film director and producer, the late Garry Marshall began work on the musical stage adaptation with it eventually debuting in Chicago in 2018 prior to a transfer to Broadway. The production was so successful it moved to London’s west end in 2020 opening at the Piccadilly Theatre and following a brief Covid enforced hiatus would reach its full success after its transfer to the Savoy Theatre. It’s that production which is now on its first UK tour and calls at the Edinburgh Playhouse for a two week run and delivers a pretty good night out filled with musical fun!
Pretty Woman the musical with music and lyrics by Bryan Adams (yes the Canadian rock god himself) and Jim Vallance with book by Gary Marshall and J.F Leyton retains the entire story of the original movie but infuses it with a catchy 80’s soft rock score that truly explores the female human spirit as Vivian Ward (a brilliantly polished performance with big vocals from Amber Davies) a Hollywood Hooker who falls for Edward Lewis (The gorgeous Oliver Savile, who delivers a honey soaked vocal performance) the rich businessman who ultimately loses his heart after seeing beyond the sex worker to the heart of the girl before him. It a story that has the empowerment of Vivian Ward at its centre and delivers a life affirming feeling to the audience due to the fact it never takes itself overly serious and embraces the vibrant 80’s score of its music.
Performances are uniformly excellent, especially the leads both Davies and Lewis deliver in spades but the tour de force comes from Ore Oduba in the roles of Happy Man/ Mr Thompson who is effectively the narrator of the show with a whirl wind of comedy skits thrown in and Oduba shows his talent brilliantly and even gets a cheeky nod to his Strictly Come Dancing credentials. The ensemble shine equally but special mention has to go Noah Harrison in the role of Giulio the bell boy, he brings a true sense of charm and wonderful dance style that catches the eye and lends the show that little bit of extra sparkle.
Production wise it’s a mixed bag, the book especially in act 1 is clunky and the false end to the first act is obvious but the show really gathers pace in act 2 where the meat of the action can be found. David Rockwell scenic design invokes Hollywood but the set looks tiny on the playhouse stage, a common problem for many touring productions these days, the playhouse stage is swathed in far too much black cloth in order to bring the set in. However what they do have works really well especially under Kenneth Posner and Philips S Rosenberg’s sumptuous lighting design, which also ensures Tom Rogers costume design sparkles in all its 80s glory and includes those iconic black thigh high stiletto boots!. John Shivers sound design is good especially for Musical director Griff Johnson and his six strong pit band. However too many microphone cues were missed on press night but these are the little niggles that will soon smooth themselves out. Director and Choreographer Jerry Mitchell has delivered a well rounded and engaging night of musical theatre that succeeds due to the fact the movie plot hasn’t been sacrificed and is rightly aimed at more adult audience which makes for a refreshing change.
Throughout the show the title song is teased, Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman” and what better way to bring the curtain down on this pretty good musical than the audience on their feet joining in for a sing along and it certainly gives extra value for the ticket price. So why not head along to the Playhouse for a fun filled evening with Pretty Woman the Musical!
Pretty Woman the Musical Edinburgh Playhouse, Runs until Saturday 13th 2024 for tickets go to: Pretty Woman The Musical Tickets | Edinburgh Playhouse in Edinburgh | ATG Tickets
The production continues to tour the UK.
ScotsGay Arts 