"Rent's" Adam Pascal and Olivia Valli Headline the Cheerful National Tour of "Pretty Woman: The Musical"

By James V. Ruocco

A Cinderella tale of wealth, class, social position and prostitution, "Pretty Woman: The Musical" takes its cue from the popular 1990 motion picture of the same name and hooks itself up (no pun, intended) with plot points from "Sweet Charity," "My Fair Lady," "Gigi" and "Irma LaDouce," among others.

Not that any of that matters.
This is musical theatre - big, grand, colorful, silly, frothy, gooey, absolutely delightful.
Pretty much everyone in the audience - boys, girls, couples, homosexuals, married folk, seniors, transgenders - have seen the movie so this tale of a loveable Hollywood prostitute named Vivian who finds her "happily ever after" with Edward, a handsome millionaire who looks very much like an older version of Roger Davis from "Rent" (that's a casting coup destined to bring hundreds of diehard  Rentheads to the box office) is hardly cause for alarm.

Like it, love it or hate it, a fact is a fact.
"Pretty Woman: The Musical" is fun.
It's entertaining.
It's cute.
It's harmless.
It's easy to digest.
It's irresistible.

At the same time, "Pretty Woman: The Musical" is also not going to change the world.
Nor is it going make you hop on a plane headed for Los Angeles to book a room or the penthouse suite at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.   

If you should see it - and see it you should - its "Pygmalion"-like graces and charms will definitely win you over as will its old-fashioned storyline, its Hollywood setting, its vivid, rainbow-tinged Technicolor, its lyrical musicality, its bright period costumes and its appealing, attractive characters.
In short, what's not to like?

Using a script penned by J.F. Lawton and the late Garry Marshall, "Pretty Woman: The Musical" comes to the stage with story, dialogue, characters and situations amped up or reconfigured - to some degree - for the Broadway (in this case, the National Tour) audience. As before, Vivian's accidental meeting with Edward prompts him to hire her on the spot (for a week, that is) as a paid escort to satisfy him sexually in the bedroom, dine with him at fancy restaurants, attend a performance of "La Traviata" and accompany him on heated business meetings with some very wealthy, well-dressed clients.
On film or in musical form, things move pretty fast as Lawton and Marshall go the sugar daddy route (obviously, they know what they're selling) and treat the material and its sexual subtext with abject sweetness, polish and fun-and-fancy charm and kindness while Adams and Vallance inject oiled, well-orchestrated songs into the already familiar scenario. It all comes off swimmingly (did you expect, otherwise?) as long as you succumb (this is mandatory, folks) to its decided humor, its candy-coated frivolity and the crazy conceit that sex workers are people who think big, dream big and live big - no matter what the cost.
PS: a charge card with unlimited credit for shopping sprees on Rodeo Drive (a major, plot advancing story arc that segues into song and dance) is just one of the many perks "Pretty Woman: The Musical" dishes out in playful, in-your-face abandon.

Pulled together by Jerry Mitchell, the director/choreographer who staged both the Broadway production and the current West End editon starring Aimie Atkinson and former "Hollyoaks" heartthrob Danny Mac, the National Tour is afloat with that "together forever" humor and sexiness that is gleefully pimped out for two hours and twenty minutes (much to the delight of everyone on stage and in the audience) in grand, Broadway musical fashion. Again, Mitchell holds all the cards and instills this production with a winsome capability and cheer that doesn't falter for a moment. Here, you get froth and giggle mixed with hope, thrust, good will and cookie-cutter vulnerability.

Sexually speaking, the musical is also fueled with some steamy, soft-core niceness (first and foremost, Vivian is a prostitute) that is treated openly and tastefully by Mitchell throughout both Act I and II.  Edward's paid sex with Vivian includes two quickly orchestrated fade-outs of oral sex along with subsequent moments of both characters pulling off their clothes, kissing passionately and making love as the music swells and swells. Again, this isn't "The Sound of Music" or "Annie." It's a 2018 Broadway musical where the lead female character engages in sexual intercourse for pay. 

That said, the story board and songbook for "Pretty Woman: The Musical" benefits from a plot line that makes great use of its ensemble cast in very much the same way as all those wonderful Broadway musicals of yesteryear did. Most of the supporting cast changes clothes, hairstyles, moods, manners and body language to morph into a variety of different characters, all of which progresses the
Pretty Woman" storyline without any blips or hiccups. As director and choreographer, Mitchell is chock full of whip-snap invention that is seamlessly cued to Hollywood Technicolor movie musical fun offset by wonderfully orchestrated production numbers mixed with hints of cuteness, flair, schmaltz, gayness and let's-applaud-this-moment showmanship. It so much fun, you can't help but lap it up like honey.

Channeling the wicked romcom nostalgia and cheerfulness of the popular 1990 Richard Gere-Julia Roberts motion picture "Pretty Woman,"  composer and lyricist duo Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance craft an accommodating, sweet-sounding score that pays homage, in part, to those pleasant enough Broadway musicals populated by gumdrop ditties, plausible choral numbers, bona fide solos and duets and pulse-racing production numbers that cry "showstopper," "standing o" and "gosh-oh-gee that sure is pretty."  Here, you get 22 musical numbers, carefully tucked into the storyboard plotting of Act I and Act II. They are: "Welcome to Hollywood," "Anywhere But Here," "Something About Her (preamble)," "Welcome to Hollywood (reprise)," "Something About Her," "I Could Get Used to This," "Luckiest Girl in the World," "Rodeo Drive," "Anywhere But Here (reprise)," "On a Night Like Tonight," "Don't Forget to Dance," "Freedom," "You're Beautiful," "Entr'acte/Opening Act II," "This Is My Life," "Never Give Up on a Dream," "You and I," "I Can't Go Back," "Freedom (reprise)," "Long Way Home," "Together Forever" and "Finale/Oh, Pretty Woman." The latter, as most people know, was written by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees.

Every one of the songs is perfectly positioned to move the story forward with just the right amount of thread, kick and dimension to not only get you to listen - and listen well - but keep things always fun and cohesive with nary of blip, a hiccup, a jolt or a move in the wrong direction. The score, of course, is not in the same league as something by Tim Rice, Jonathan Larsen and Stephen Sondheim - "Chess," "Rent," "tick...tick...Boom!" "Company," immediately spring to mind - but, so what?  There's still a massive hook to the music from melody lines and power blasts to instrumentations and lyrics that are fresh-sounding, spontaneous and inspired.

Working from the blueprint of arrangements, orchestrations and music supervision provided by Will Van Dyke, music director Daniel Klintworth ("The Book of Mormon," "Billy Elliot") brings a tremendous sense of theatricality and color to the National Tour. It's a high-octane feat of moods, flavor, flamboyance and harmonics which he and his orchestral team address with dazzle, tilt and savvy Broadway lyrical expression. Song by song, act by act, it's all vividly realized with splendid artistic  freedom and comfort offset by a fingerhold that follows the musical narrative, its progression and its kaleidoscope of change intuitively.  It's all expertly timed to the musical songbook at hand and the obvious, playful conceit set forth by both Adams and Vallance.

The cast - leads, supporting players and ensemble - also benefit from Klintworth's tutelage. On every level, their vocal consumption of the material is rife with a thrall and encouragement that is the music's forte. That said, the vitality of mood, swing and articulation is subsequently marked by harmonic relishing, grace and concern that is performed and negotiated with natural aplomb. The Bushnell's ideal, perfectly balanced sound system furthers that notion.

The cast, is true to form, in rich Broadway musical fashion.

Adam Pascal, best known for his cutting-edge portrayal of Roger Davis in Jonathan Larson's 1996 Broadway production of "Rent" oozes plenty of charm, sophistication and sexiness for his role of the rich and very eligible bachelor Edward Harris. It's an emotionally engaged turn - as was Roger in "Rent" - and one Pascal coveys with honesty, passion, drive and confidence. Even when things get silly - and they do from time to time - the actor never lets his guard down for a moment. Vocally, he is magnificent (no surprise, here), displaying a wide range of emotions, style and reflection that makes every one of his musical moments ring loud and clear throughout the two-act production.
Olivia Valli, the granddaughter of "Four Seasons" frontman Frankie Valli, takes hold of the now iconic role of Vivian Ward (played by Julia Roberts in the 1990 film version of "Pretty Woman" movie) and turns it into a smart and savvy heroine who actually does get her "happily ever after" ending right before the final fadeout. She not only has great fun with the role, but invests it with a natural sense of whimsey, freedom, charm and allure. Like Pascal, she too comes to "Pretty Woman: The Musical" with vocal chops befitting a true Broadway leading lady. Her singing, which includes a powerhouse belt, is heartfelt, die-hard enthusiastic, centered and wonderfully alive. 

In the role of Vivian's trusty and mouthy sidekick, Jessica Crouch delivers plenty of sass, spunk and voltage-charged vocals. Kyle Taylor Parker, cast in the dual roles of a crafty hotel manager and the show's street-singing Mr. Hollywood narrator, is an amazing talent exuding showstopping charm, personality and command throughout the musical. Lastly, there's the wonderfully animated Trent Soyster, who pretty much steals the show as Giulio, a gay Beverly Wilshire Hotel bellhop whose singing, dancing, preening, posing and frequent flights of fancy are so excitably executed and performed, his every on-stage moment, which also includes some standout ensemble work, is well worth the ovation worthy applause he gets during the musical's final curtain calls. Chock full of charm, candy store sweetness and Broadway razzle-dazzle, Soyster commands your attention from start to finish.

A crowd pleaser with nothing on its mind except to entertain, "Pretty Woman: The Musical" is a colorful, splashy entertainment that breezes along with the carefree snap and zing of a musical theatre confection designed solely to get you clapping, smiling and oh yes, put you in a romantic mood for the night, the day or the morning after (no fee required). Direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell who helmed both the 2018 Broadway production and the London edition, currently running at the Savoy Theatre, is sweet, lively and motivated. The cast, headed by "Rent's" Adam Pascal and Olivia Valli, all deliver old-school Broadway caliber performances - the kind where every single person on stage can not only sing, dance and act, but also are in sync with the mindset and good cheer set forth by the show's creators. And that is exactly what makes this playful National Tour fly.

Photos of "Pretty Woman:The Musical" by Matthew Murphey.

"Pretty Woman: The Musical" is being staged at The Bushnell, 166 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT), now through May 1, 2022.

For tickets or more information, call (860) 987-5900.

website: busnelll.org.

Calista Flockhart and Zachary Quinto Headline the Geffen Playhouse Revival of Edward Albee's Critically-Acclaimed Drama "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in Los Angeles

 By James V. Ruocco 

Martha: "Get over there and answer that door?"

George: "You've been advised."

Martha: "Yeah, sure, Get over there."

George: All right, love...Whatever love wants...Isn't it nice the way some people have manners, though, even in this day and age? Isn't it nice that some people won't just come breaking into other people's houses even if they do hear some sub-human monster yelling at 'em from inside...?"

Martha: "SCREW U !!!!"

And, so it begins.
Edward Albee's edgy, booze-soaked, serio-comic portrait about a dysfunctional marriage on the verge of collapse, comes to L.A.'s Geffen Playhouse just in time to celebrate the play's iconic 60th Anniversary.
First performed at the Bill Rose Theatre in October, 1962, the original production starred Uta Hagen, Arthur Hill, George Grizzard and Melinda Dillon in leading roles. It received the 1963 Tony Award for Best Play and the 1962-63 New York Drama Critic's Circle Award for Best Play. A film adaptation, penned by Ernest Lehman and directed by Mike Nichols, was released in 1966 with a stellar-cast headed by Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal and Sandy Dennis.

An explosive tale of mind games, manipulation, lies, deceit, compromise and revelation, told in three acts - "Fun and Games," "Walpurgisnacht," "The Exorcism" - the Geffen Playhouse revival stars Calista Flockhart as Martha, Zachary Quinto as George, Graham Phillips as Nick and Aimee Carrero as Honey. It is being directed by Gordon Greenberg whose credits include the West End revival of "Guys and Dolls," the North American premiere of "Piaf/Dietrich," the Broadway staging of Irving Berlin's "Holiday Inn" and the world premiere of "The Heart of Rock and Roll," the new Huey Lewis musical at The Old Globe.

"I have always loved the play, although my relationship with it changes over the years," Greenberg told Sarah Rose Leonard, Dramaturg for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" "I first saw the movie in my teens. I was living in a household that wasn't as drastically dangerous as this household, but it resonated. I certainly recognized the decaying relationship, codependence and violence, the disappointment and mourning that all these people are experiencing, I was also drawn to the exposing of the underbelly of an ostensibly perfect, orderly, suburban existence. I loved that the couple you thought had it all together and had everything going for them - the golden couple, if you will - is actually more dysfunctional than the couple who look like they're a mess and should be separated, probably. I think George and Martha have a brighter future than Honey and Nick. And that was fascinating to me."
In 2022, Albee's play, per Greenberg, is just as timely as it was when it was first performed.
"As I've gotten older, I've understood what it means to love someone through darkness at times. The way you think about life is not quite as neat and tidy and finite. If you look at the lifespan of a relationship, it's like traversing the Pacific Ocean. There are going to be storms, and there are going to be challenges and waves. But if you learn how to sail through them, you get a great reward at the end, which is mileage and longevity."

Returning to the stage after a 20-year absence, Flockhart, whose credits include "Romeo and Juliet," "The Three Sisters," "Ally McBeal," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "Supergirl" and "The Glass Menagerie," is more than just excited to be starring in the Geffen Playhouse staging of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"
"Whenever I did a play, I was usually the ingenue and one of the youngest people in the cast," the 57-year-old actress told the Los Angeles Times. "And now, I'm the oldest person in the cast. And I am not the ingenue. And that's really fun and exciting. I could never play Martha without all the life experience. So it feels pretty wonderful."
Theater, live theatre, is Flockhart's first love.
"I love theater. I love that it's happening in the moment right in front of your eyes. I love going to the theater. I love being in a play. I love, obviously, that it's live.
"There is no editor and it's an actor's medium. You're on stage, the director's gone and it's just very exciting to me."

Working alongside Flockhart, Phillips, completely understands why the actress is excited about bringing the character of Martha life, performance after performance. "She's got such a brilliant take on Martha that I never would have expected. She just comes across as more dangerous. It has this almost-transparent quality to her, where you feel like you really know Martha. And then something changes and you realize maybe you have the whole thing wrong all along."

Mixing truth and illusion with the inability to communicate, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf's" razor-sharp dialogue, invited parallelism, fierce interplay, raw characterizations and strong sense of purpose, is one of the main reasons why the play is so often revived. It's three-act structure, set loose in a cyclone of controversy, desperation and opinion, not only questions American values and the institution of marriage, but allows the work to stand tall in its fight for artistic freedom, inspiration and independence.

According to Greenberg, the Geffen Playhouse staging of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is also a play with hope.
"When you got adversity, the only way around it is through. We're watching these characters go through the storm probably in the worst way they ever have. I believe they come to a higher, hopefully more connected understanding of each other.
"There's a reason Albee ends the show with dawn breaking. It's almost too on the nose, but he's telling us something. My feeling is that there is hope for a future for Martha and George."

George: (singing) "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf? Virginia Woolf. Virginia Woolf,"

Martha: I...am...George..."

George: "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf..."

Martha: I...am...George...I...am..."

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" is being performed at the Geffen Playhouse ( 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, CA), now through May 29. 2022.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 7:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Matinees are 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Tickets are $30-$149.

Running time: 3 hrs. and 20 minutes, including two 10 minute intermissions.

For more information, call (310) 208-2028.

website:geffenplayhouse.org

Note: For the health, safety and well-being of the actors, staff, audience and artists, everyone in attendance is to be fully vaccinated and to wear masks.
The production, which contains adult subject matter, profanity and the smoking of herbal cigarettes is not recommended for those under the age of 14. Children, six and under, will not be admitted.

Photos of  "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" by Jeff Lorch and Justin Bettman