Pretty Woman: The Musical (NYC)

“Our #MeToo era seems the exact wrong moment to launch a show...based on a 30-year-old rom-com...Our understanding of a woman's place in society has changed. We no longer think women need saving...Miraculously, the new ‘Pretty Woman’ understands that, which is why it works...Vivian is whip-smart, strong, and soulful...She's a character we can cheer for without reservation...A show that will delight almost everyone...It's a musical about a woman finding herself." Full Review

"Barks and co-star Andy Karl make a terrifically entertaining and magnetic pair, and help carry a light musical that in lesser hands could be cloying...Mitchell deftly navigates the tricky material and keeps things lively...At times, the musical is too beholden to its source material...A run-of-the-mill romcom transformed into a show about hoping and dreaming and changing your life." Full Review

"Burdened by a lackluster score by Adams, whose style is more suited to country/pop than the stage, 'Pretty Woman' is what you get when bad music happens to good singers...And yet, even with its flimsy story and inconsistent score, this show has something any creative team would kill for — the dazzling Samantha Barks...Despite its flaws, 'Pretty Woman' does have appeal, in the quirky individuality of its chorus members, and the truly stellar performance of Samantha Barks." Full Review

"Jerry Mitchell’s peppy production is propelled by the sheer professionalism of its delivery, the attractive soft-rock songs of Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, and the chemistry of its leads. Samantha Barks is simultaneously tough and vulnerable as Vivian, while Andy Karl has an alpha-male sturdiness that makes the potentially unsympathetic character of Edward at once edgy and warm. There’s also scene-stealing work – and a fierce, belting voice – from Orfeh." Full Review

"A fun romp with some great acting, singing, and dancing...Mitchell does his typically reliable work...For better or worse, his work never gets in the way of the storytelling, but it really doesn't add much to it, either...Fans of the film will be happy. Theater lovers may ask, 'did this need to be a musical?'...While 'Pretty Woman' doesn't really break any new ground it does enough to feel fresh...The superb cast, including more than excellent principals, makes up for the lack of originality." Full Review

"While there are more than a few delights on display here, neither the visions of movie star magic nor the urge to hear that song are satisfactorily fulfilled...Overstuffed with splendid sightgags and deliciously wry choreographic touches...What is notable about the score is the professionalism; the songs are crafted for the stage in a manner not apparent in this season’s prior musicals...Standing head and shoulders above all is Karl...the image of Richard Gere is altogether wiped out." Full Review

"The show is just as much of a fairy tale as the film on which it is based, but it is a fun-filled fairy tale thanks largely to the charismatic lead performances...The musical deserves to stand on its own in accordance with the very different requirements of song, dance, and theatrical pizzazz. Barks and Karl do well on all counts and there is welcome chemistry between them...The appealing lead performances induce one to take the formulaic story more seriously than it deserves." Full Review

"Samantha Barks, the truly formidable young star, achieves something close to a miracle...This is the Samantha Barks show, and she sure takes command as she emotes center stage...'Pretty Woman' has found a smart sweet spot somewhere between nostalgic retro romanticism and the current necessity for heroines to take charge...The show hardly is advancing the art in any kind of profound way...But it clearly pleases an audience that wants to escape." Full Review

“Possessed of a moonbeam smile and a powerhouse voice, Barks -- in an altogether ravishing Broadway debut -- manages the same magic trick that Roberts pulled off...'Pretty Woman' -- with its naive-bordering-on-deranged portrait of sex workers, and its deeply mixed messages about capitalist excess -- might seem like a minefield in our more socially progressive times...But if you can get past the ick factor...this musical delivers considerably.” Full Review

"Musically there is enough variety throughout to keep things interesting...But there are at least two misfires...Both Ms. Barks and Mr. Karl are very good in their roles, but neither has the opportunity to win over the audience the way that two of the key supporting players do...'Pretty Woman: The Musical' is not going to set the world on fire, but it is pretty much of a surefire winner that is likely to attract lovers of old-fashioned romantic musicals for a long time to come." Full Review

"Despite the star-making potential of her part, many actresses would have shied away from the daunting task of stepping into Julia Roberts' shoes. However, Barks' determination to make the role her own shines through at every moment. Luckily, she also has a toothy, glowing smile almost as big as Roberts', an absolutely amazing singing voice, an obvious affection for the character, and the ability to look stunning in Gregg Barnes' mostly gorgeous costumes." Full Review

“A colorful, entertaining but otherwise middling rom-com musical that will thrill fans of the film...The musical isn’t advanced further by Adams’ pleasant yet forgettable power-pop score, so it is difficult for Mitchell to infuse any real imagination and 21st century sensibility into the narrative...What does work is the delightful Barks...and Karl...They elevate the material to a reasonably enjoyable evening...The most glaring flaw...is how anachronistic it is in the ‘#MeToo’ era.” Full Review

“A charming piece of romantic theater with a serviceable pop score by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance...This is a reproduction of the film, with songs and dance numbers added...I doubt if anyone is going to remember most of the music...The individual numbers are enjoyable for what they are – pleasant interludes...There are not many magical moments in ‘Pretty Woman’ but there are enough pleasing moments to guarantee you a night of relaxed fun.” Full Review

"If you absolutely adore the film, director Jerry Mitchell has put together a show that will feel instantly familiar...No Broadway show has ever gone wrong by casting Andy Karl...But the best news of all is just how perfectly (and seamlessly) Samantha Barks steps into Roberts’ shoes...And yet, 'Pretty Woman' doesn’t quite work as a musical...Overall, the songs by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance feel uninspired, a little cheesy, and lifeless." Full Review

“Frothy and fun, with moments of real loveliness — as long as you’re not looking for any kind of grounding in reality...Barks and Karl are charming, though they’re both missing the edge their predecessors brought to their roles...The musical doesn’t really encourage anyone to think deeply...The score starts to lag midway through...It’s most successful when it stops simply iterating the film...and lets the spectacle of theater build on the film’s most dazzling moments.” Full Review

"The musical rarely achieves that same special place that the 1990 film occupies in romantic comedy heaven. It has all the good lines, well, most of them, and almost every iconic set-up, but the end result feels as flat and bland as a Chevrolet Malibu, mainly because the book and actions play strict allegiance to the film, and rarely give it any chance to rev-up its cylinders in its own unique way...But the musical looks shiny and solid...It sounds just as good as it looks as well." Full Review

"The script…has been deflated by its morphing into a musical…Songs that barely move the action forward or explore characters and themes…Takes the air out of whatever little dramatic action there is. Comedy lines and business are cluttered with clichés…Jerry Mitchell's direction and choreography substitute obviousness for nuance…Its attractive, talented stars…are unable to capture Gere and Roberts's lightning in a bottle, thereby accenting the artificiality of the conceit." Full Review

"A solidly mediocre entertainment...The songs, where off rhymes proliferate like mosquitoes in summer, do remain serviceable. Not surprisingly, two pop ballads given Edward impress as items Adams himself could render Top 40 candidates...At the singing, though, Barks and Karl are no slouches when they need to guarantee that things land...Jerry Mitchell directs and choreographs with expected acumen but doesn’t necessarily outdo the results for his previous productions." Full Review

"While the creative team strains a tad too diligently to give the female lead agency and sidestep the Cinderella story's awkward sexual politics, the show is best appreciated as a retro pleasure, guilty or not...Its chief reason to exist is as a nostalgia exercise, not a fresh entertainment in its own right. The songs are almost superfluous...Barks makes a sensational Broadway debut...Vivian probably could have done without the blunt literalness of lyrics by Adams and Vallance." Full Review

"Mitchell’s characteristically slick production is vibrant, polished, and yes…very pretty...The most dangerous thing about 'Pretty Woman: The Musical' is that it presents itself like the heroine it idolizes — benignly appealing without asking anyone to think too hard...Hats off to Samantha Barks for reinventing a wildly beloved character and making it utterly her own...Mitchell’s production proceeds at a decent clip, one too many songs about pursuing vague dreams notwithstanding." Full Review

"The score is energetic pop, sometimes catchy, more often generic-sounding, like outtakes from a Bryan Adams album...Jerry Mitchell has put together an entertainment with his usual professional polish, though one could almost characterize the song-and-dance numbers in 'Pretty Woman' as restrained and peripheral...The work the cast does...is fine, sometimes more than fine, but it cannot completely compensate for characters that feel airbrushed for commercial consumption." Full Review

“Instead of aiming for a more relevant update to the story the musical sticks close to its inspirational source to be a nostalgic feel-good experience...Blessed to have Mitchell to enliven this less than inventive adaptation and the energetic but more recording hits than story furthering songs...What's genuinely original and fun is the way Mitchell...managed to...to cleverly tap into the Cinderella-Pygmalion plots and visual memories from which ‘Pretty Woman’ always borrowed." Full Review

“This musical adaptation...holds pretty close to the plot of the original...But as any number of flops...have illustrated, that transfer is very tricky...’Pretty Woman’ lacks...imagination and creativity...Both of the leads do everything they can to make their characters credible without a script that reveals why they are attracted to each other and how that attraction transforms them...What was once charming and engaging in the movie theatre has become mediocre and bland.” Full Review

"'Pretty Woman' has at its command a pair of thoroughly capable, even charismatic leads, but the support from their creative team just isn't in place. Without it, they can't make beautiful music together...The biggest problem is the score, which does nothing to advance the relationship of Vivian and Edward...Mitchell has provided a typically slick, good-looking, fast-moving production that makes everything about 'Pretty Woman' -- no matter how dubious -- easier to take." Full Review

"The score by Bryan Adams and his longtime collaborator Jim Vallance is fine, if nondescript, 1980s-style pop-rock...Andy Karl and Samantha Barks have a loose, relaxed chemistry. You are rooting for them to end up together because, well, that’s the whole point. And yet the show never quite clicks. Partly it’s because we could use more sass and wit...But a lot of the issues have to do with the big question hovering above the entire project: Is this the story we need right now?" Full Review