Pretty Woman: The Musical

 

I LOVE the movie Pretty Woman. I grew up watching it (maybe even without understanding the prostitute part at first), and I must have seen this movie at least twenty times in my life. I was definitely interested in seeing the musical version at the National Theatre (which was the D.C. debut, by the way), but the tickets were a little expensive. But I won their digital raffle, so I received discounted tickets to see this show last Friday night! I invited my friend Beth to go with me, and we had such a fun time!

To set the stage (no pun intended), I thought the set and costumes were really great. Palm trees transported you to California, luxe columns and curtains brought you inside the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, and you even had the famous balcony at the end where she "rescues him right back." There were so many costume changes for the cast: hookers on Hollywood Boulevard wore next to nothing, young men wore old-timey uniforms as bellhops, and fashionistas on Rodeo Drive had the glitziest ensembles. I even appreciated when the outfits matched those from the movie, like Vivian's famous red gown or the polka-dots she wears to the polo match. I felt like all of these details made the play that much more true to the movie. 

There were really only two parts that didn't match the film. The dinner scene with David Morse is turned into a dancing scene, which works better for a theater performance, anyway. And when Stuckey visits Vivian at the hotel, instead of him slapping her, she hits HIM! The female empowerment switch-a-roo is definitely preferrable to the original!

And I thought the cast did a great job. Ellie Baker was a lovely Vivian, with lots of energy and a charming, down-to-earth sense about her. And while Chase Wolfe is no Richard Gere (but who is?), I especially liked his singing voice, which reminded me of Lee Brice a little bit. I think Rae Davenport, who played Vivian's friend and roommate, Kit, had the strongest singing voice of the bunch, and Joshua Kring, one of the members of the general cast, was an amazing dancer. But I think my favorite character may have been "Happy Man," an amalgam of several characters from the film: the "What's Your Dream?" man on the street, the manager of the BW Hotel, and the store manager when they go shopping for Vivian to get new clothes. All of these roles were, ahem, rolled into one and played by Adam du Plessis; he did a fantastic job transforming into each! Of course the wardrobe changes helped, but I found him believable, and more importantly, likeable, as each character. Everyone was so talented, and they totally did justice to the film, which for me was the most important part!

Here are two video if you want to see more:

*Check out this glowing review from D.C. Theater Arts, too!