Interview: Olivia Valli of PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL at Peace Center

Fresh from Broadway, PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL is coming to Greenville's Peace Center.

Based on the beloved 90's movie that made Julia Roberts a superstar, the show features direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award® winner Jerry Mitchell, an original score by Grammy® winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, and a book by the movie's legendary director Garry Marshall and screenwriter J.F. Lawton, PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL delivers all the iconic moments from the movie, plus the joy and fun you expect from a big Broadway musical.

The touring production stars Broadway veteran Adam Pascal in the role played by Richard Gere in the movie. Pascal originated the role of Roger Davis in the Broadway and film productions of RENT and has gone on to star in numerous other Broadway and touring shows. He was last seen at The Peace Center as William Shakespeare in the the first national tour of SOMETHING ROTTEN.

Starring alongside Pascal, in the Julia Roberts role of professional escort Vivian, is Olivia Valli. While you may not recognize her, you probably recognize her name, especially if you've ever seen JERSEY BOYS.

"My grandpa is Frankie Valli," she told BWW in a recent telephone interview. "And I wanted to be a pop singer like my grandpa."

But in high school, she had a transformative experience playing Mama Rose in GYPSY, and she began wanting to be more than just a wedding singer. After studying musical theater in college, she got cast as the understudy for Elphaba in a touring production of WICKED. After that, she managed to get a dream role - she played her own grandmother, Mary Delgado, in a production of JERSEY BOYS. But she's quick to tell you that she had to earn the part on her own merits.

"My grandpa was like, alright, go do this, and I will just be your grandpa and cheer you on," she said. "So if anybody has any questions about his influence in my career, well, there is none, because that's not how theater works."

I asked Olivia to tell us more about the show and her experience playing these iconic roles.

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BWW: I think enough time has passed that there is a whole generation who don't know the movie beyond maybe recognizing the title and knowing it had Julia Roberts in it. How would you describe the show to people unfamiliar with the film?

I would say that it is about a woman who is a survivor and has been dealt an unfortunate hand in life, but rather than becoming a victim of her circumstance, she is somebody who wants better for herself and she meets somebody who is wealthier, and even though Edward is wealthy, she is not somebody who is impressed by money or status. This is a story of a woman who finds her own voice and her own confidence and learns how to say no. And that money and material items are not the end all be all.

Which is always a good message.

It's like a Cinderella story, but it's better and has more meaning to it.

I love that! And, of course, it's also got the addition of music, so tell me about some of the songs and musical styles.

Well, the great thing about PRETTY WOMAN is that you're going to have your traditional musical theater-esque songs, but you're also really going to get your pop rock, and you're going to have an opera scene, and there's a rock and roll number - I think there's a little something for everybody. The music was written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, who did a wonderful job of nailing the time period of PRETTY WOMAN and putting music to it. I don't think that it would have been so successful if it was your traditional musical theater score. So while they do honor musical theater, they also really wanted to make sure that this is your 80s/90s pop rock musical.

That sounds so fun! And in Bryan Adams, you've got an actual 80s/90s pop rock veteran helping put together the score.

It's so cool and it is just the most fun to sing. The first song I sing in the show is called "Anywhere But Here" and it is like being transported to an 80s road trip. It is so good. And Adam and I sing a song called "Long Way Home" and it's a 90s power ballad. I really mean it when I say there's something for everybody in this show!

Oh, that just brings a big smile on my face just thinking of that idea of a big 90s power ballad.

It's the best. Like, who doesn't love a 90s power ballad, honestly?

Tell us a little about the choreography and set design, those kinds of elements.

This show is so high energy that the set is kind of minimal, which I like because I think if we had too many things going on it would just be overwhelming. And Jerry Mitchell is a genius. I think that anything he touches turns to gold, so you have women strutting in, like, 5 inch heels doing this beautiful runway-esque choreography. And I do a swing dance number. I do a foxtrot. There's a waltz. There's hip hop in it. This show nails the demographic of Hollywood, where there are different kinds of people everywhere, so we have different kinds of dance numbers everywhere, too.

It must be enormously entertaining to just put on every day.

It really is. I think it's so easy to be bogged down by the world right now, and for good reason - look at everything that's happening. But our show is just a beautiful reminder that we're here to have fun, and sometimes theater can just be fun, and that's OK. Not everything has to be this Nobel Prize winning work. What makes it so special is the fact that everybody is having a good time and we're all celebrating this show together.

How would you rate it as far as audience age appropriateness?

I think it's definitely 16 and up. I know that kids go to it, but if you know the movie, there are definitely scenes - like the piano scene, the bed scene - and everybody is fully clothed, but you know, I just think that younger audiences might want to tread with caution. And that's just me saying that as a responsible human being who has younger cousins.

Tell us about working with Adam Pascal.

It's funny because when I found out that Adam was cast, I was nervous because Adam is, in my opinion, la blueprint for male rock tenors in musical theater. Everybody tries to emulate him, everybody tries to be like him and what makes him so special is that even though he is who he is, he is so kind and generous and giving with his time and with his friendship. He doesn't see himself as "Adam Pascal." He's just Adam and so we'll hang out and we're laughing all the time. Just yesterday one of the people in our show was like "I was nervous to contact you because your number's on the contact sheet" and he was like, "Well, if you did, I'd report you" and was obviously kidding, so were all laughing about it. It's just so impressive to me when somebody leads with character, rather than a name, because coming from my background, I've met Clint Eastwood, Clive Davis, I've met like some of the biggest names on the planet, and sometimes they are very disappointing people. Because when somebody tells you that you're the best thing on planet Earth and nobody humbles you? It can go to your head, and I'm really lucky to be working with Adam, but to even be his friend and see that he leads with character and integrity.

You have an interesting background yourself. You got to play your own grandmother in JERSEY BOYS.

It was the opportunity of a lifetime! She was just the greatest person I've ever known and had the privilege to know. She was the kind of person where somebody loved her diamond earrings and she literally took them off her ears and gave them to that person.

Oh my gosh.

That's the kind of heart she had. And that's why I love playing Vivian because there is so much of me that is in Vivian, like not being swayed by money. And I'd be like alright, here are the earrings. I don't care. Just take them. And that's Vivian. That's the heart of Vivian. You know, it's funny - all three roles that I've played professionally, they all have different qualities about them, but so many qualities are the same, and the base of it is staying true to yourself and not being swayed by status, power, money, and social class. Just really tough, sensitive women. This was great because it's my first time being a leading woman and I had to remember that even though I'm a leading lady, I still have a duty to not get swayed by the hierarchy that is theater and just be true to me and to tell the story. And I think that's what, in my opinion, makes my Vivian successful in my eyes because I'm staying true to myself and still doing what I need to do. But also the audience loves it every night, and obviously you want people to love the show. So I just remind myself of the gratitude that I have to do this.

Oh, that's wonderful. So you're getting good responses from the crowds.

Yes. And it's so much fun. Naturally you get a little worried because the Broadway run - while it was good - it got mixed reviews, and what makes this so wonderful is that this is a new, revamped show. They trimmed the fat from Broadway and it worked. The audience is at their feet every single night, having the best time and it's just, well, I take my final bow and I'm like, yeah, this is great.

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PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL

February 8 - 13, 2022

PEACE CENTER CONCERT HALL

300 South Main Street
Greenville, SC 29601

Phone: 864.467.3030

https://www.peacecenter.org/events/detail/22-broadway-4

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