Before She Walks Down the Street to Broadway, 5 Things You Should Know About PRETTY WOMAN

PRETTY WOMAN is walking down the street... 41st Street. The new musical begins Broadway performances later this month on July 20, at the Nederlander Theatre, with an official opening night of Thursday, August 16, 2018. Before previews get started there are just a few things that you should know about the new musical!

It's a family affair...

Andy Karl joins the company following its Chicago run, joining his real-life wife, Orfeh, for the third time in their Broadway careers. "It's all sort of fate to be in it, which I also think is Pretty Woman itself: Vivian meeting Edward is a fate situation and I'm realizing that more and more," says Karl. "I've worked with Garry Marshall before and being a part this show in this way is kind of makes me feel really good and really connected to it. And I've worked with Jerry Mitchell... and Orfeh is in the show... so its kind of like a family affair and I'm just happy to jump in."

A pretty wonderful debut...

Samantha Barks, who originated the title role of Amelie before it came to Broadway in 2015, and played Eponine in Tom Hooper's big screen adaptation of Les Miserables in 2012, finally makes her Broadway debut in this role. "It's all pretty surreal for me to be honest," says Barks. "I try not to let myself get too excited and nervous, but just be in the moment doing the show and doing the things I need to do. And when I've finished it will be like, 'Wait, what? How did that happen? I'm not sure how I got here...'"

Fans of the film...

Of course, both Barks and Karl are big fans of the film on which the musical is based. "When I first watched it I was really young and it was so exciting: the transformation. But that is one very small part of it," says Barks. "These two people who come from two different walks of life are actually two souls that really need each other."

"As you watch it in different stages of your life, especially now, you're reexamining what makes it so good and so iconic,"adds Karl. "It's Pigmalion mixed with Cinderella and The Sound of Music... and you sort of deconstruct it. Why does it work so well? What does it mean to have that kind of chemistry right away and how does it happen?"

Vivian finds her voice...

The song, "I Can't Go Back" is Vivian's empowerment anthem. It's about her finding herself and finding that self-belief and self-confidence and deciding that that's that, she is going forward and not going to be going back to the life she's lived."

Barks got to perform the song with composer Bryan Adams at the O2 Arena- her second time performing at the iconic venue. "I got to see [his] show the night before and he is just a one of a kind, true, unique, amazing star. My god what an experience. And getting to sing it with him and the theater it was mad. It was amazing!"

The chemistry is real...

"I remember seeing the interviews with Garry Marshall [who would say], 'It was chemistry, man, chemistry!' So I was like, 'Whatever we do we have to go further into the scenes and do more,'" says Karl. "I just think she is amazing and to come into and be her Broadway debut show, but also be incredibly receptive and not be scared of change, that is rare. That makes you the star on the rise."

Based on one of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time, this modern spin on Cinderella is the story of Vivian, a spirited diamond in the rough who dreams of a better life. A star-crossed meeting with Edward, a shrewd corporate raider from New York who is lost in Hollywood, turns a simple business deal into a week of romance and a journey of self-discovery for both Vivian and Edward. This contemporary theatrical take on the iconic love story will sweep a new generation off their feet and make them believe in the power of "Happily Ever After."

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL stars Samantha Barks as 'Vivian' opposite three-time Tony Award nominee and Laurence Olivier Award winner Andy Karl (Groundhog Day) as 'Edward,' with Tony Award nominee Orfeh (Legally Blonde) as 'Kit,' Eric Anderson(Waitress) as 'Mr. Thompson,' Jason Danieley(The Full Monty) as 'Philip Stuckey,' andKingsley Leggs (Sister Act) as 'James Morse' in a company of 25 that includes Allison Blackwell, Tommy Bracco, Brian Calì, Robby Clater, Jessica Crouch, Nico DeJesus, Anna Eilinsfeld, Matt Farcher, Lauren Lim Jackson, Renée Marino, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Jillian Mueller, Jake Odmark, Jennifer Sanchez, Matthew Stocke, Alex Michael Stoll, Alan Wiggins, Jesse Wildman and Darius Wright.