Review: PRETTY WOMAN at the Eccles Theater is Appealing

The national tour of PRETTY WOMAN, now playing at the Eccles Theater, is an appealing adaptation of the 1990 film that makes for a romantic, feel-good night out.   

PRETTY WOMAN (book by Garry Marshall and J.F. Lawton, music and lyrics by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance) opened on Broadway in 2018.  A Hollywood streetwalker and a wealthy businessman strike a deal for a six-day partnership that may just end up improving them both for the better.

The original cast left big shoes (huge), which this young cast works hard to fill.

Chase Wolfe as Edward Lewis and Ellie Baker as Vivian Ward are both eminently likeable with singing voices that draw you in and a relationship you root for.

Adam du Plessis as Happy Man is a commanding, winking, jubilant presence, and Connor Kabat as Giulio fills the stage with joy.

Also making an impression are Rae Davenport as Kit De Luca, Mikey Marmann as Philip Stuckey, and Kerry D’Jovanni as David Morse.

The score’s specific brand of soft ‘80s rock, paired with the choreography by original director Jerry Mitchell (recreated by Rusty Mowery), generates a series of throwback moments, augmented by the tasteful but unflinching decade-appropriate costume design by Gregg Barnes and hair design by Josh Marquette.

The scenic design (original by David Rockwell and tour by Christine Peters) successfully visualizes both sides of the tracks in Hollywood but is also unafraid of sparseness, allowing the solid colors of the lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Philip Rosenberg to fill the space.

PRETTY WOMAN plays the Eccles Theater for a limited engagement through Sunday, April 7, 2024.  For tickets, call ArtTix at 801-355-ARTS (2787) or visit www.artsaltlake.org. 

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

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