REVIEW | Pretty Woman The Musical UK Tour
Oliver Savile 'Edward Lewis' and Amber Davies 'Vivian Ward' in Pretty Woman The Musical Photo Marc BrennerWritten by Kathryn, Theatre and Tonic.
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Based on the 1990 cult-classic movie of the same name, Pretty Woman The Musical has landed in Glasgow’s Theatre Royal for its Scottish stage debut.
Transporting Glasgow audiences straight to LA’s Hollywood Boulevard, Pretty Woman follows the story of sex worker Vivian (Amber Davies) and rich businessman Edward (Oliver Savile) who offers Vivian $3,000 to be his companion for the week. The pair, although intending to keep their arrangement as purely business, find themselves falling head over heels in love. It is a rom-com after all!
Taking on the roles of Vivian and Edward is a big task for anyone, after all the original film stars two of the most beloved Hollywood names - Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. Their on-screen romance is iconic and, even if you’re not familiar with the film, you can certainly recognise clips or memes from the film in an instant.
Amber Davies is charming as the young, confident Vivian and I enjoyed her performance, although sometimes felt she was holding back a little and I would have liked to see more. Oliver Savile’s performance as Edward was flawless, taking the audience on an emotional journey as he fell for Davies’ Vivian. The pair complemented each other well.
None of the original songs in the production are particularly memorable but they are enjoyable in the moment. I often feel with newer musicals that there are a lot of short songs, when sometimes a few bigger, more powerful numbers would be better. Nevertheless, the cast delivered Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance’s music and lyrics with great enthusiasm.
Ore Oduba who portrayed multiple roles in the show was a particular highlight for me. He held the whole show together and dazzled the audience with his dance moves and stage presence - clearly not forgotten from his time on Strictly! The production also featured Natalie Paris as Vivian’s roommate Kit - a great role for Paris with some fantastic solo moments for her outstanding vocals, and Noah Harrison as Giulio, the comedic Bellboy at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
Pretty Woman the Musical is an entertaining production that at its core is about finding love, freedom and never giving up on your dreams. It’s an easy and enjoyable watch for those who are already fans of the film and those coming to the story for the first time.
Pretty Woman runs at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal until 25 November 2023 as part of a wider UK tour. All tour information can be found here.
★ ★ ★
