The Julia Roberts and Richard Gere smash-hit film comes to the Birmingham stage in a stunning musical version that had audiences whooping with joy in the aisles.
Pretty Woman - The Musical is now playing at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham.
Director Garry Marshall ‘s romcom Pretty Woman mopped up the cinema box office in 1990 when it netted over $460 million and made a star out of 21-year-old Julia Roberts.
Roberts went on to win a Golden Globe award and received Oscar and BAFTA nominations for her performance.
The late Princess Diana was a huge fan of the film and told director Garry Marshall how much she enjoyed the movie when he visited London.
The stage musical keeps the story of the film – the book for the musical is by Garry Marshall and J. F. Lawton - and injects some beautiful and emotional music and songs by highly-acclaimed musician Bryan Adams and writer Jim Vallance that highlight the themes of love, female empowerment, courage and the power of dreams.
The daring story, sourced from a much darker story, follows the unlikely love that develops between a sex worker named Vivian and high-flying businessman Edward who initially plans to hire Vivian for a night but as feelings develop, and the emotionally aloof Edward begins to thaw and warm to the infectious spirit of Vivian, he employs her for a week and love begins to blossom and eyebrows are raised by Edward’s circle of friends who hail from elite and respectable society.
The plot mirrors George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion (which was later turned into a stage show and a successful Hollywood musical) which follows the hilarious attempts of a rich and educated man to transform a working-class girl into a sophisticated and smart high society lady.
The stage show amplifies the feminist angle, and the story becomes a strong statement for women to choose their own destinies rather than have their lives controlled and manipulated by men and their desires.
The transformation that occurs here is sublime and mutual and both Vivian and Edward change and embrace the light of love rather than follow social rules and convention.
Love Island winner Amber Davies takes on the part of Vivian and she sings and dances beautifully while also acting out the dark and dangerous dramatic sections in the show.
Davies shares sparkling chemistry with Oliver Savile who takes on the role of cold-and-calculating smooth talker Edward. Savile brings charisma and swagger which seduced the audience.
There was one performer who absolutely brought down the house with her incredible vocal acrobatics during the La Traviata sequence. Lila Falce-Bass sings the part of Violetta from Verdi’s masterpiece La Traviata which captivated and stunned the audience.
Absolutely nothing moved or stirred during those truly sublime moments as Lila brought pain, anguish and palpable heartache into her haunting and evocative vocals.
This is opera as opera ought to be, grand and vast, with a voice that carries light and darkness, love and hope, and more.
Lila is a tour-de-force and should be signed and snapped up by a major opera house. She is a natural talent with awe-inspiring vocal powers.
The stage sets and striking neon lights bring the stage of the Alexandra Theatre to vivid life while the costume design hearkens back to the original Hollywood film, and for those familiar with the 1980’s fashion era this stage show will be a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
Pretty Woman - The Musical sweeps you off your feet and melts your heart with love.
Verdict: ★★★★★
Pretty Woman - The Musical is now playing at The Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham until Saturday 24 August
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