THE HANGOVER REPORT – The pedestrian musical adaptation of PRETTY WOMAN squanders its shot at Broadway glory

Samantha Barks and Andy Karl in "Pretty Woman" at the Nederlander Theatre.

Samantha Barks and Andy Karl in “Pretty Woman” at the Nederlander Theatre.

Earlier this week, the anticipated musical adaptation of Pretty Woman opened on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre. Long story short, the pedestrian musical adaptation is unmemorable in almost every way – from Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance’s original score to Jerry Mitchell’s uninspired direction and choreography to the bland performances from its accomplished cast. Indeed, seeing the was a deeply discouraging experience, particularly given the pedigree of the people involved in the project. By nearly all accounts, Pretty Woman has squandered its shot at Broadway glory through its sheer mediocrity. Even the very subpar Gettin’ the Band Back Together, another new musical which opened on Broadway this summer, exhibited more character and valor than this limp offering.

Where to begin. As you’re already wont to know, the musical is based on the popular 1990 film directed by Garry Marshall and written by J.F. Lawton. The movie, an updating of the Cinderella fairy tale, made an A-list Hollywood celebrity out of the ascending star Julia Roberts (the movie also starred the handsome Richard Gere as her wealthy prince stand-in). The musical’s book, co-written by Mr. Marshall and Mr. Lawton, is of the stock variety, and it’s shocking in its predictability and unoriginality. As for the score, I almost kind of wished the creators had gone the “jukebox” route – that’s how formulaically undistinguished I thought their work is. For example, Mr. Adams’ hit single “Everything I Do” would have worked really well within the context of the show and period sensibility.

Let’s now turn our attention to the cast. Samantha Barks (who played a great Eponine in the film version of Les Miz) looks spectacular and has a decent set of pipes as Vivian, the prostitute with a heart of gold and the musical’s heroine, but her characterization is two-dimensional, dull even. I missed the authentic spunk and spark that Ms. Roberts brought to the role. Andy Karl, who was simply everything in the deeply underrated Groundhog Day (IMHO, one of the great musicals of the decade), here sleepwalks through his performance in the Richard Gere part. It’s also a bit awkward – or perhaps more than that – to see him play the romantic male lead on the same stage as his real-life wife Orfeh, who plays Vivan’s best friend (!) in the show. Given the material, I doubt the typically-reliable Mr. Mitchell (Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Kinky Boots) could have saved the show, but even his production was infected by the whole enterprise’s sophomoric idea of what constitutes a worthwhile Broadway musical.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

 

PRETTY WOMAN
Broadway, Musical
Nederlander Theatre
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run

 

Categories: Broadway, Theater

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