Pretty Woman: The Musical (NYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (824)
See it if You enjoy a classic love story and traditional theater with flashy costumes and sets.
Don't see it if You dislike love stories. Or if you are offended by shows about strippers. Read more
See it if You are a fan of the movie and would like to see it performed with music
Don't see it if You are not a fan of musicals or didn’t see or like the movie.
See it if You liked the movie or want to see a refreshing up-beat musical.
Don't see it if Just see it.
See it if you want to see the movie come to life on stage with two wonderful main characters, excellent supporting cast, great singing and dancing
Don't see it if you don't think it could be good without Julia Roberts (it can)
See it if A delightful fun evening. Beautiful dancing and singing,high energy, . You can be happy seeing a Broadway extravaganza .
Don't see it if You need challenge, mental stimulation and clever dialogue.
See it if I Saw this before it closes on Broadway and loved it! Fun musical. Great voices.
Don't see it if If you don't like musicals.
See it if If you love the movie
Don't see it if If you don't love the movie
See it if You love high quality musicals or where a fan of the film. Samantha Barks and Andy Karl are outstanding in the lead roles. Amazing!
Don't see it if You hated the film or musical theatre.
Critic Reviews (51)
“There isn’t a moment of wit or originality in it, but judging from size of the mobs pouring out of buses from NJ...this vulgar, noisy load of arrant nonsense is making a lot of people very happy indeed...The new musical version, which follows the movie to the letter...makes no improvements and settles for cheap imitation...The result is a 2 ½ hour show with a five-minute plot...The cheesy pop-rock score by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance gives Karl nothing important or memorable to sing."
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"It’s murder by adaptation...Anyone who saw the late Garry Marshall’s film will remember one of its sweetest scenes, in which Gere’s Edward playfully closes a box containing a diamond and ruby necklace on the fingers of Roberts’s wide-eyed Vivian...Andy Karl and Samantha Barks, in the same roles in the flat Broadway facsimile, try gamely to reenact the scene and manage only to make the moment seem canned and awkward — a bit of formula-mandated shtick."
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"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."
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“The hooker with the heart of gold is singing a new tune — but it’s the same old icky story...Slick direction and choreography, plus fine performances...But, like so many movies churned into musicals, the show is a warmed-over copy of the original. Seriously: Why would anyone revisit such a funky fable, especially in the #MeToo age?...The pleasant score is all soft rock and smooth grooves, though earworms are in short supply.”
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"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."
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“For all its ostentatious faults, ‘Pretty Woman’ is helped by the charisma of its leads...Barks is a vibrant musical theater performer. She can’t usurp Roberts...but when she sings, she owns the stage...The chemistry between Barks and Karl may not be intensely sexual, but it is romantic, and this flawed show depends on the compatibility of their radiant talents to cover up the myriad shortcomings in a musical serving old wine in a new bottle.”
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"To its credit, 'Pretty Woman' is adequately and competently handled...Mitchell looks for any opportunity to add movement, awkwardly inserting Latin ballroom and hot jazz dance breaks...It is surprising that it took so long for Barks to come to Broadway. While she is a gorgeous performer with a strong voice and bright presence, she is essentially just recreating Julia Roberts’ original performance and thus leaves little impression of her own."
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"If you do buy into the fantasy, the storytelling is still a problem...This is Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance's first Broadway score and it shows with generic lyrics and bland tunes for the most part that do little to advance the plot. They're fortunate to have a cast that almost manages to redeem the weak material...In truth, the singing is all well and good, but considering the evolution of gender politics over the last 30 years, 'Pretty Woman' today comes off pretty tone deaf."
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