Interview: PRETTY WOMAN at Murat Theatre -- A Cinder-Freakin'-Rella Story with Jessica Crouch

It's time for breaking barriers and discovering a modern fairy tale in Pretty Woman: THE MUSICAL coming to Indianapolis the 15th through the 20th. Before this fabulous show hits the stage, we had a moment to talk to Jessica Crouch, who is playing Kit De Luca. She gave us some special peeks behind the magic and into the process that brought this beloved story to Broadway.

We always want to know how someone came into their role, how they found their way to this particular show. Ms. Crouch's story starts with the original Broadway cast for Pretty Woman: THE MUSICAL. "That was my Broadway debut." Then, over time, she came into the role of Kit De Luca because she "was kind of a puzzle piece that was exactly what they needed." She offers a huge range in her vocal performance and auditioned with both opera and rock. Now she has joined the national tour and is bringing one of Hollywood's most famous friends to life in a new way.

One of the weightiest questions is, of course, how does the musical stand up against the movie. The answer seemed to be that there isn't really a competition. The musical melds together the new and the old. As Jessica puts it, "I think we have done a really good at-all of the leads-have done this really good job of staying true to the movie but bringing themselves to it." For the diehard fans out there, the magic of the original is respected and preserved but "you're going to get a lot of extra surprises." Those extra surprises enhance what audience members already love while the cast "gets to bring this fairy tale to life."

Of course, we had to know how Ms. Crouch developed the character of Kit De Luca. She is one of the most treasured best friends in film for her edgy charm. Jessica admitted, "I feel a lot of the pressure, having so many iconic lines, that I do really want to stay true to her but add my own flair to it." This manifested in a lot of research with the film itself and looking for those moments to add in her own personality without taking away from the original feeling. One thing that she's most enjoyed is "playing off of Olivia [Valli]," who plays Vivian. For Jessica, "almost every night you're getting a different show between the two of us." This is really a tribute to the spirit of the film because Vivian and Kit have such a believable and endearing friendship.

A huge source of curiosity for us was how the film converted into a musical. Does the music bring something more to the story? Are there any standout pieces? Ms. Crouch said she loves singing her song, "Rodeo Drive." It has a rock feel that helps to bring out the innate fun from the film. She also is passionate about "You and I," a unique rock ballad from the songwriters, Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. "They infuse this opera music with this rock ballad," and it creates "one of the most beautiful moments on the stage." Audiences will get to see a new side to this classic story.

We also had to ask what the show brings to musical lovers who may not have see the film. Jessica said she had some of the same concerns, but what she's witnessed instead is people enjoying "all the same iconic moments where it's new." There's a reason the film is iconic, and its appeal has stood the test of time. She also said it's "one of the most iconic movies of all time because people just love watching these people fall in love." Its draw is irresistible, regardless of your familiarity with the plot.

It's great fun to ask some more offbeat questions, so we had to know if there are ever any moments where it's tempting to break character. There are so many moments where it has to be tempting to give into the laughter. For Jessica, she shared that it's not so much the people on stage who create some of those moments but it's the audience. "Sometimes the audience wants to jump one of Kit's iconic lines," and it's "such a fun moment when someone screams my line before I can say it." She appreciates "that pressure of delivering it the way that they want it to be delivered but also surprising them at the same time."