Pretty Woman The Musical → Adelaide Festival Theatre
Forget Rodeo Drive. The hottest destination this winter is on Grote street at Her Majesty’s Theatre for Adelaide’s exclusive season of Pretty Woman: The Musical! Trust me, it would be a Big Mistake if you missed it. A Big, Huge mistake…
Based on the cult classic film, Pretty Woman The Musical follows Vivian Ward, a street-smart woman surviving in Hollywood, and Edward Lewis, a wealthy businessman who initially hires her for a week as part of a strictly transactional arrangement. As expected, the agreement quickly unravels as Vivian is pulled into Edward’s world of luxury and status. As the week progresses, they begin to realise this is more than just a fantasy, and are forced to confront their inner insecurities if they wish to have their true happy ending.
At its core, the show is about overcoming obstacles to find love, a reminder that the Cinderella dream actually requires courage and vulnerability. This is how the musical has re-angled the plot of the film to leave audiences with that classic Broadway-style heartfelt take-home message.
Whilst lovers of the original film will have no hesitation booking a ticket, the real draw-card for this show is most certainly the cast. They are absolutely stellar!
Samantha Jade as Vivian alongside Ben Hall as Edward are equally powerhouses as individuals, and when they’re together? ...Yeeshh the CHEM-IS-TRY is off the charts!
Surprisingly, this is Jade’s first musical. At the launch party at Burnside Village last month, she told me that “as adults, we don’t do enough hard things,” and this mindset is what brought her to the show. If this is Jade’s first, I truly do hope this won’t be the last. She is a pocket-rocket of talent. We all know she can belt a house down, but accompanied with her cheeky, unapologetic portrayal of Vivian, it's clear she belongs in this industry. Vivian is a character that exudes confidence yet has many layers of specific insecurities, and Jade captures all of the emotional dimensions of this character.
As Vivian’s character foil, Hall’s portrayal of Edward was swoon-worthy. He is suave yet reserved. Like Jade, he knows how to embody Edward’s emotional avoidance. He sings Freedom with the audience in the palm of his hand, capturing the turning point of this character.
Michelle Braiser is a standout! She plays Kit De Luca, Vivian’s best friend. It’s a treat when the side character also gets their own self-development storyline, and Brasier is the perfect choice. Her vocals are insane. You simply must see her sing Rodeo Drive - I will be going back just for that! With the ensemble, this is the high-energy climax of the show.
Another name in the canon of Australian performers in this cast is Tim Omaj, who plays the cheeky narrator of the show, emerging as a Happy (homeless) Man and the hotel manager Mr Thompson. I was getting Mr Moseby vibes from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody between Omaj and also Jordan Tomljenovic in the hotel scenes— well played if this was part of the vision.
Another highlight is that Jerry Michell’s direction transforms the iconic opera scene to the stage. Jade and Hall look absolutely stunning centre stage in the opera box. Prior to this, we swoon again at Edward placing the necklace around Vivian in a clever nod to the film scene. Callum Warrender and Rebecca Gulinello get to have a solo moment performing as the incredible opera singers that is highly impressive. The ensemble also emerges to add to the visual opulence.
Pretty Woman The Musical is a perfect dose of guilty-pleasure romance to escape the winter. This is an ideal night-out show: big, bold, and impossible not to get swept up in!
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