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Walk down the street to Melbourne\u2019s Regent Theatre, where Pretty Woman the Musical has landed for the final leg of its debut Australian tour. Strap on those glossy red heels, tighten that bold red tie and witness the stage adaptation of one of the most beloved 90s romantic comedies, now with an array of songs to guide Edward and Vivian on their journey of love.<\/p>\n
As someone who hasn\u2019t seen the 90s classic, I had no nostalgic ties to the characters or story despite being aware of the film and its place in 90s rom-com culture. This musical very much has the identity of a 90\u2019s rom-com, preserving the film\u2019s plot and characters, just adapted to music. The story here is solid; it runs with a straightforward, predictable structure that\u2019s very indicative of that era and genre. That doesn\u2019t sound all that exciting for a new audience, but it serves the production well, as it\u2019s simple enough not to require any great bouts of exposition. The story is fun and, at times, quite powerful in the themes it explores, meaning that, if for whatever reason the music doesn\u2019t land, there\u2019s a solid narrative element to take away from it.<\/p>\n
Speaking of the music, it\u2019s a very up-and-down kind of journey across the entire production. The musical peaks with its few electric numbers that are full of fun, quirky choreography; moments that had the entire audience enamoured. Then there are a couple of duets that provide insight into the characters and flesh out the story a little more, despite not really blowing the audience away. Lastly, there are a few solo ballads, one of those being \u201cFreedom\u201d, that feel just uninspired and even boring at times. I don\u2019t love using the term \u2018filler\u2019, but that\u2019s the way it feels for a good third of the Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance\u2019s songs in here. It feels like a few great hits were conceived, like the electrifying \u201cRodeo Drive\u201d and Edward and Vivian\u2019s duets, but then they threw in a couple of solos to fill gaps in the production, and it unfortunately shows. Some musical numbers have the characters singing about their feelings, and I, as an audience member, felt nothing.<\/p>\n
Building on the music, we get to the ensemble of vocal performances that are mostly full of charisma. Samantha Jade (Vivian) leads the way with her great vocal talents and growing stage presence. There\u2019s a really intriguing duality to her performance: striding a fine line between being strong-willed and confident and also quite soft-spoken and loving. Jade brings out both sides of her character really well and conveys that through some beautiful vocals. Tim Omaji (Happy Man\/Mr. Thompson) takes on a couple of roles throughout the production and is just having a tonne of fun. He shares great chemistry with Jade and Jordan Tomljenovic (Giulio the bellhop), the latter of which is a great source of comedic relief from start to finish.<\/p>\n
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For me, the standout from both a comedic and vocal sense is Michelle Brasier, who plays Vivian\u2019s best friend Kit De Luca. Her vocal performance is, bar none, the most grand and impressive throughout the production. She\u2019s a real scene-stealer, injecting heart, humour and musical awe, especially with her performance of \u201cRodeo Drive\u201d and later part in \u201cNever Give Up on a Dream\u201d. On the other end of the spectrum is the weakest link, Ben Hall (Edward). He\u2019s good in scenes opposite Samantha Jade and even thrives in some duet settings with palpable chemistry, but his overall performance feels lacklustre and without passion. This results in his solo moments not hitting the mark, especially when combined with songs like \u201cFreedom\u201d that offer nothing unique or interesting.<\/p>\n
As far as set design goes, the production does some good stuff with minimal staging and backdrops. None of the sets is particularly grand or exciting, but they all service the story quite well. Costuming is lovely, but again not overly grand or extravagant. That\u2019s not a criticism per se; it\u2019s more an observation of the grounded, minimal approach the production has taken. There\u2019s some solid choreography to go along with a couple of musical numbers that\u2019s both playful and beautiful.<\/p>\n
The opening night was marred by a slight technical difficulty which saw mic levels in the first act be quite low in contrast to the music. It was most noticeable in Tim Omaji\u2019s vocals, which were harder to hear, but even more polarising when the issue was rectified in the second act, with certain voice performances much louder.<\/p>\n
Take a trip down Hollywood Boulevard and relive a classic rom-com backed by new musical numbers and impressive vocal performances. Despite its soundtrack shortcomings, it\u2019s a fun rom-com journey simple and straightforward, with a little extra glitz and glamour. Given this musical has made it to the last leg of its Australian tour without being cancelled, like the latest casualties Beetlejuice, Back to the Future and Waitress, it\u2019s either a testament to its quality or obviously lower production cost.<\/p>\n
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\nTHREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)<\/p>\n