Prepare for an evening of heart-warming romance, with plenty of giggles along the way says Keeley Rodgers who saw Pretty Woman: The Musical in Milton Keynes.
We’re all romantics at heart, right? Well maybe not all of us, but after seeing this musical you’re bound to leave with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
The chemistry between Vivian (Amber Davies) and Edward (Oliver Savile) was certainly sizzling in parts of the show; I’ll leave it to your imagination but needless to say, the pair portrayed the unfolding love story beautifully.
“Welcome to Hollywood”, where some dreams come true and others don’t, but we all need to have a dream. And dream our characters do. The colourful, and yet tough, world of Hollywood Boulevard, where Edward first meets Vivian, is a stark contrast to the opulent and iconic Beverly Wilshire hotel.
The choreography and costumes are brilliant, showing the two very different worlds and lives. In Hollywood Boulevard, the performances and outfits display the hard-graft and creativity while in places like Rodeo Drive, it’s much more considered with every detail thought through.
I’m always nervous when an iconic film like this is adapted for the stage, but the story has been transformed wonderfully.
The sets interchange seamlessly, cleverly helped by the hilarious hotel bellboys. A special mention must go to Noah Harrison whose character Giulio had us all in stitches throughout. His facial expressions and awkward, yet extravagant, performances were absolutely spot on and added plenty of humour in countless scenes.
In fact there was heaps of humour alongside the romance and grittiness of the story, not least from the fabulous Ore Oduba who we know and love from Strictly (he won the 14th series in 2016).
He belongs on the stage all right; transforming effortlessly between Hollywood Boulevard Happy Man and very well-to-do Mr Thompson, hotel manager, Ore gave a charming performance, delighting the audience from beginning to end. His vocals were on point and his dance moves? Well, prepare to be swept off your feet (almost literally).
And while we’re on vocals, Natalie Paris who plays Vivian’s friend and roommate Kit De Luca was fantastic. You may know her from the original West End production of SIX (she played the original Jane Seymour). What an absolute powerhouse she is with incredible stage presence. She told us “I have a chill”…. I think we all did when she sang number after number, giving it her all each time.
Amber Davies (Vivian) has a brilliant voice too and wide-brimmed hats off to her for performing so well wearing high heels throughout too - that’s no mean feat. She captured our hearts and portrayed the character wonderfully. It’s no easy task to take on such an iconic role as played by Julia Roberts, but Amber smashed it with oodles of charisma, tenderness and sass.
Making her professional debut in Pretty Woman: The Musical is Lila Falce-Bass and my word, what a voice. I won’t give too much away but I guarantee you’ll be blown away by her performance in the show, I certainly was.
I’m always nervous when an iconic film like this is adapted for the stage, but the story has been transformed wonderfully. Staying true to the 1990 romcom but with wonderful new music, the show invites you to get to know the characters in a whole new way. And don’t worry, if you’re wondering about the classic Roy Orbison hit, you won’t be disappointed!
Keeley saw Pretty Woman: The Musical at Milton Keynes Theatre on Tuesday 19th March. The tour is currently booking until September 2024. For more information and tickets see prettywomanthemusical.com/tour
