Pretty Woman: The Musical – Bord Gais Energy Theatre – Review
by Fran Winston

Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Grand Canal Square, Docklands, Dublin 2, D02 PA03
Nightly at 7.30pm with matiness at 2.30 pm July 6, 11 and 13.

Julia Roberts and Richard Gere’s enduring classic gets the big screen treatment with a soundtrack from rock star Bryan Adams and his co-writer, acclaimed musician and songwriter Jim Vallance. It is unlikely anyone attending won’t already know the Cinderella story of call girl Vivian who picks up businessman Edward when he asks her for directions.

He subsequently hires her to be his companion for a week while he is in town and the hooker undergoes a transformation to high class as the pair fall in love. It is an enduringly classic movie but, despite Robert’s megawatt smile and Gere’s charm there is no escaping the fact that parts of it are still rather dark.

However, the opening track of this production Welcome To Hollywood makes you think nobody has a care in the world. But behind the smiles and jazz hands Vivian, played here by Love Island winner Amber Davis, and her roommate, the streetwise Natalie (an excellent Kit de Luca) are about to be evicted by their sleazy landlord unless they come up with $300. This is what pushes her into Edward’s orbit as she offers to show him a good time for €100.

The premise of the tale means many of the songs seem somewhat awry with the actual storyline. The tracks are fantastic but four songs in, Edward (Oliver Savile) is wistfully singing about Vivian in Something About Her as if he is well and truly smitten while at this stage their relationship is still purely transactional.  It is rather jarring, especially since he and Davis don’t have the chemistry we instinctively expect from the characters.

This balances out somewhat by Act Two when they are indeed falling in love and Vivan is determined not to go back to her old life. I Can’t Go Back is a particular highlight and gives Davis the chance to show her vocal talents.

The clever and impressive staging manages to switch between the streets of Hollywood, to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, to the Opera and the Polo seamlessly, ensuring they adhere to the film’s settings. All the iconic moments from the movie, such as Vivian returning to a shop saying they made a huge mistake not serving her, are all here which should keep fans of the film satisfied.

While Davis and Savile may be the leads, the standout performance is definitely Strictly Come Dancing 2016 winner Odre Oduba who takes on the pivotal role of Hotel Manager Mr Thompson, (played by Héctor Elizondo in the movie) who becomes Vivian’s fairy Godfather. He also doubles up as Happy Man who somewhat serves as the show’s narrator.

This is extremely enjoyable if you put the film out of your head. However, I couldn’t shake the jarring feeling that sometimes the character’s motives and development felt at odds with the story. The songs are great – even if they do sometimes seem out of place in certain scenes – and the cast’s energy is infectious. There are some very funny moments in this, but it lacks the charm of the movie and feels far more contrived than the storyline we know and love.

You will definitely leave with a smile on your face but this won’t give you the warm and fuzzies a rewatch of the film would.