Fort Lauderdale- Broadway In Fort Lauderdale's production of "Pretty Woman: The Musical" brings the Film version of the popular movie to the stage in a fun and wonderful performance in its opening debut at the Au Rene Theater at the Broward Center For The Performing Arts.
The Broadway production of this beloved film pretty much follows the script of the movie. Olivia Valli, the granddaughter of singer Frankie Valli, plays the lead role of Vivian, the new girl on Hollywood Blvd. turning tricks to pay rent while figuring out her future. Adam Pascal plays the morose millionaire Edward. Both act their roles to perfection, although I found that Pascal, on many occasions, delivered his lines a bit too fast. A slight pause in between would have done well.
Edward, lost in the big city and unable to correctly drive a Lotus stick-shift, seeks directions to the Beverly Hills hotel that he is staying in and is assisted by Vivian, whom he picks up on the street. Thus starts this romantic Cinderella story that runs for two hours and twenty minutes.
The sets for this production were very simple yet impressive and the flow between set changes was uncomplicated and flowed easily. the musical numbers, crafted by Jim Vallance and Bryan Adams, were delivered with high-quality vocals and the lyric content was on point with the storyline. As I mentioned before, the musical follows the script of the original film, but there are scenes that weren't exactly in the film that is included in the stage production. Fans of the film will be able to spot these scenes immediately. "Pretty Woman: The Musical" captures the spirit of the original film, but delivers its own twist.
The costumes and dress in this musical were right there with the film version. the most impressive was the outfit worn by Valli, the iconic street walker drab don by Vivian, who was spot-on from the knee-high black vinyl boots to the blue mini skirt and red dinner jacket tied around her waist.
I must give props to Amma Osei who deliver an amazing performance as Violetta in "La Traviata" during the opera scene. Osei's performance made my chest vibrate with her powerful vocals on the high end.
In all, this is a fun and not too serious take on the film. The actors added their own flair and style to make this production uniquely their own while sticking to the script. The transitions between the scenes moved along quickly and smoothly and the jokes within the lines were delivered with perfection and was proven with the audiences timely laughter.
This Broadway production is highly recommended for those that are a fan of the movie. If you don't go out and see this musical right now, you will be making a "Big mistake. Big. Huge!"
ENTERTAINMENTTAKEOUT/theater