Review: PRETTY WOMAN The Musical at the National Theatre

The Pretty Woman film, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, made its mark on pop culture with its debut in 1990. Fans instantly fell in love with the characters of Vivian Ward and Edward Lewis. You might also be familiar with the song, “Oh, Pretty Woman,” by Roy Orbison, which was featured in the movie. Decades later, Pretty Woman the musical made its Broadway arrival on August 18, 2018, and closed a year later. The musical is now on its U.S. national tour, and made its stop in Washington D.C. Pretty Woman: The Musical doesn’t live up to the award-winning romantic comedy that it is based on.

If you don’t know the premise for Pretty Woman, here is a quick summary (with a little spoiler). Vivian Ward (Ellie Baker) and her best friend, Kit De Luca (Rae Davenport), are sex workers on Hollywood Boulevard. Edward Lewis (Chase Wolfe), a rich businessman who doesn’t have time to relax or have fun, gets lost trying to make his way to a fancy hotel. Vivian approaches Edward with encouragement from Kit and helps him find his way around Hollywood. Edward is enchanted by her and Vivian agrees to his proposal of spending the week with him. She falls in love with the rich lifestyle, and eventually, Edward. 

Comedy overtakes the romance in this production. Adam du Plessis certainly fills in the polished Oxfords of Hector Elizondo’s Mr. Barney Thompson, the loveable hotel manager, with ease. It’s quite fun to see him interact with Baker’s Vivian and take charge of his hotel staff. His role as the Happy Man isn’t as intriguing, but this isn’t the fault of Du Plessis. The Happy Man is the main narrator of the show, a Hollywood fairy godmother of sorts, who wants people to pursue their Hollywood dreams. While there is a Happy Man in the Pretty Woman movie, it’s debatable whether or not this is effective as a narrator in a musical, which puts the theme of “going after your dreams” as an afterthought to the romance between Vivian and Edward. Speaking of romance, Bake’s Vivian and Wolfe’s Edward do have some sparks of chemistry, but it fizzles in and out, depending on the scene. An intimate scene where they kiss on the piano that could have been a fiery romantic moment is interrupted by the banging of piano keys. They try their best to channel their inner Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. 

The music in the Pretty Woman movie is pretty iconic, but the musical struggles to get its songs to that level of peak 80’s bliss. Where have the beloved synthesizers, programmed drum beats, and epic power ballads gone? They are missing along with the beloved energy of 80’s dance moves. This prevents the musical’s most powerful singers like Davenport from using their voices to their full potential. 

Pretty Woman: The Musical would perhaps have been better as a play rather than a musical. A play would have given the production team the opportunity to breathe more life into the characters, and expand on its themes. 

If you enjoy the Pretty Woman movie, you might like the musical. However, you shouldn’t hold the musical to the same standards as the movie. 

Pretty Woman: The Musical runs from December 12, 2023 to December 17, 2023 at The National Theatre in Washington D.C. 

Main Image Caption & Credit: (L to R) Chase Wolfe and Ellie Baker Credit: Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade

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