The classic smash hit starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere about a jaded capitalist who falls in love with a hooker was turned into a musical with a book by the film’s original director, Garry Marshall (who died in 2016) and screenwriter, J.F. Lawton, and songs by 80’s pop star, Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. Fans of the movie will delight in the faithful adaptation that uses the movie as a blueprint upon which a robust dose of singing and dancing have been injected to deliver a nostalgic guilty pleasure. The witty dialogue? It’s there. The red dress? There. The jewelry clap-shut of the jewelry box? There. And then some…

“An indisputable retro crowd-pleaser with not a dull moment, and the ebullient reaction of the audiences, willing to toss their exacting yardstick for a little bit of good fun, is proof of that.”

Pretty Woman: The Musical is certainly no Hamilton, or any of the number of now-classic musicals that continue to elevate the genre to near-mythical status; but it’s an indisputable retro crowd-pleaser with not a dull moment, and the ebullient reaction of the audiences, willing to toss their exacting yardstick for a little bit of good fun, is proof of that. Mitchell’s choreography is effervescent and often comically inspired; the songs by Adams and Vallance have an appropriately catchy ’80s feel with such winners as “On A Night Like Tonight” and “Something About Her.” Costumes by Gregg Barnes, and lighting by Kenneth Posner and Philip S. Rosenberg infused with the era’s highly-saturated color palette.

Olivia Valli (granddaughter of the legendary Four Seasons singer, Frankie Valli) as Vivian, and Adam Pascal as Edward Lewis more than competently fill the shoes of Roberts and Gere. But it’s Jessica Crouch as Vivian’s bestie, Kit De Luca with her formidable vocal chops, and Kyle Taylor Parker and the company that often steal the show.

— G. Dhalla

Pretty Woman: The Musical plays at the Dolby Theater through July 3rd. Tickets HERE.