Pretty Romantic and Pretty Magical That Pretty Woman Opens Tonight

The movie made almost half a billion dollars at the box office, picked up multiple Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, and was almost singlehandedly responsible for the 1990s rom-com boom. Basically, Pretty Woman was kind of a big deal, and all these years later it’s still well-loved by millions.

So imagine how excited we all are that PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL is heading our way, getting to the Wales Millennium Centre from this evening (29th April).

Everything about this show is iconic. There’s the dress, the necklace and of course, the music. Take a look at the trailer below and you’ll see what we mean. Literally two beats of that famous drum and you’re right back into Pretty Woman.

The story is about as perfect a ‘boy meets girl’ tale as you’re going to find. Once upon a time in the late ’80s, Vivian met Edward and her life changed forever.

There’s no doubt you’ll be swept up in their romance in this dazzlingly theatrical take on a love story for the ages – and get to know these iconic characters in a whole new way – in a sensational show guaranteed to lift your spirits and light up your heart.

TV and stage stars ORE ODUBA and AMBER DAVIES have been announced in the cast of Pretty Woman: The Musical.

Ore was fantastic on his last visit to South Wales in Rocky Horror. He’ll be playing the roles of Happy Man/Mr Thompson. Ore was crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion in 2016 and more recently made it to the final of Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.  

Amber, originally from Wrexham, will be playing the role of Vivian Ward. Amber was one of the winners of the third season of Love Island in 2017. Her theatre credits include playing Loraine in Back to the Future and absolutely shoe when she played Judy in 9 to 5 the Musical at the WMC.  

Edward Lewis will be played by OLIVER SAVILE (Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Cats and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). Kit De Luca will be played by NATALIE PARIS (whose theatre credits include Billy Elliot, Les Misérables, and playing the original Jane Seymour in the West End production of SIX).  

They are joined by Rebekah Bryant, Becky Anderson, Josh Damer-Jennings, Ben Darcy, Andrew Davison, Lila Falce-Bass, Noah Harrison, Sydnie Hocknell, Elly Jay, Joshua Lear, Rachael Kendall Brown, Michael Kholwadia, Stuart Maciver, Victoria Rachael McCabe, Eleanor Morrison-Halliday, LJ Neilson,  Curtis Patrick, Chomba Taulo and Annell Odartey. 

With such an iconic movie comes some great facts. Here’s five things you may not know about Pretty Woman……

1. THE NECKLACE SCENE WAS IMPROVISED – According to director Garry Marshall, Pretty Woman’s famous necklace scene – in which Vivian (Julia Roberts) bursts into laughter when Edward (Richard Gere) snaps the box shut on her fingertips – wasn’t actually scripted the way it turned out. 
2. THE ORIGINAL ENDING WAS REALLY DEPRESSING – In the original script, Vivian and Edward’s ‘relationship’ was unceremoniously brought to an end with him literally throwing her out on the kerb.
3. THAT FAMOUS RED DRESS WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE RED – The famous red dress that Vivian wears to the opera was almost black. After a lengthy process involving three different creations and multiple test shots, they settled on the now-iconic red dress.
4. VIVIAN’S BREAKFAST CHANGES FROM ONE SHOT TO THE NEXT – Next time you watch the movie, check out the breakfast scene. Vivian is eating a hotel breakfast in her dressing gown? “So, what do you do?” Vivian asks Edward, and as they discuss his line of work, she’s seen working her way through a croissant. When the camera cuts back to her, the croissant has turned into a pancake.
5. THAT NECKLACE WAS ACTUALLY THE REAL DEAL AND REALLY EXPENSIVE – The piece of jewellery that Vivian wears to the opera wasn’t a prop at all, but a very real store-rented item worth a whopping $250,000.

There’s so much more we could tell you about one of our favourite movies. Like for example, Al Pacino and Burt Reynolds almost got to play the part of Edward. Daniel Day-Lewis and Molly Ringwald were also up for the main roles.

The movie is famous for it’s incredible soundtrack, which also feature in Pretty Woman: The Musical. There’s also original music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, as well as Roy Orbison and Bill Dee’s international smash hit song ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’. The book is by Garry Marshall and the film’s screenwriter J.F. Lawton.  

LISTEN TO THE MUSIC FROM PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL

The show is directed and choreographed by the two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell. 

PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL is coming to the Wales Millennium Centre from this evening – 29th April through to Saturday 4th May 4 May on its first tour of the UK and Ireland. Tickets for the show are on sale right now but they are almost sold out – HERE