Pretty Woman Musical Opens in Melbourne Amidst Australian Theatre Funding Crisis
The stage adaptation of the 1990 film 'Pretty Woman' has premiered at Melbourne's Regent Theatre, running until September 13. Produced by Suzanne Jones with local direction by Rusty Mowery and Jennifer Dean, the musical features a score by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, with a book by Garry Marshall and J.F. Lawton. Samantha Jade stars as Vivian, alongside Ben Hall as Edward, Michelle Brasier as Kit de Luca, and Tim Omaji as Barney Thompson. The show debuted in Chicago in 2018 before Broadway and London's West End. However, its Australian run faces challenges amid arts funding cuts and rising cost-of-living, following the unexpected cancellations of 'Beetlejuice' and 'Back to the Future' tours. The article questions whether nostalgic goodwill can sustain the production in a market saturated with movie-to-stage adaptations.
Key facts
- Pretty Woman: the Musical plays at Melbourne's Regent Theatre until September 13.
- The musical is produced by Suzanne Jones with local direction by Rusty Mowery and Jennifer Dean.
- Music and lyrics by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance; book by Garry Marshall and J.F. Lawton.
- Samantha Jade plays Vivian, Ben Hall plays Edward, Michelle Brasier plays Kit de Luca, Tim Omaji plays Barney Thompson.
- The show debuted at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago in 2018, then Broadway, then London's West End in 2020.
- Samantha Barks played Vivian in the original Chicago, Broadway, and West End productions.
- Australia's theatre scene is reeling from the cancellation of Beetlejuice and Back to the Future tours.
- The article notes a broader cultural shift back towards original stories over IP adaptations.
Entities
Artists
- Samantha Jade
- Ben Hall
- Michelle Brasier
- Tim Omaji
- Bryan Adams
- Jim Vallance
- Garry Marshall
- J.F. Lawton
- Samantha Barks
- Steve Kazee
- Andy Karl
- Danny Mac
- Julia Roberts
- Richard Gere
- Rusty Mowery
- Jennifer Dean
- Suzanne Jones
- Eddie Perfect
- Baz Luhrmann
- George Bernard Shaw
- Audrey Hepburn
- Stephen A Russell
Institutions
- Regent Theatre
- Oriental Theatre
- Broadway
- West End
- ArtsHub
- ScreenHub
- Fairfax
- SBS
- Flicks
- Time Out
- The Saturday Paper
- The Big Issue
- Metro magazine
- Joy FM
- Divine Playhouse
- Australasian Dance Collective
Locations
- Melbourne
- Australia
- Chicago
- London
- Hollywood Boulevard
- Sydney