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Jerry Mitchell on Why “Pretty Woman: The Musical” Is a Sure Thing—and Gayer Than the Film

But the Broadway director-choreographer did get some notes from Julia Roberts.

Welcome to Broadway! What’s your dream? If it’s a musical based on Pretty Woman, the beloved 1990 rom-com starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, that dream has finally come true.

Like a hooker with a heart of golden glitter, Pretty Woman: The Musical is now working West 41st Street with a new score by Grammy winner Bryan "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" Adams and songwriting partner Jim Vallance. Directed and choreographed by two-time Tony winner Jerry Mitchell, the show stars Samantha Barks as Hollywood escort Vivian opposite Tony nominee Andy Karl as Edward, the rich businessman who falls for her charms.

Celebrated for his Midas touch on musicals like Hairspray, Legally Blonde, and Kinky Boots, Mitchell explains why it would be a big mistake to underestimate his latest screen-to-stage adaptation. Big. Huge.

Jerry Mitchell/Christopher DeVargas

Julia Roberts recently attended the show for a special tribute to late Pretty Woman director Garry Marshall, who co-wrote the musical with screenwriter J.F. Lawton. What was that like?

We didn’t know if she was going to come backstage or take pictures, but she couldn’t have been more generous. The first thing she did was spend 10 minutes backstage hugging and having a beautiful moment with Samantha. She went up to a lot of the actors, actually, which was really cool.

What did she say to you?

We hugged and I whispered in her ear, “It must’ve been incredibly strange to see Vivian sing.” She said, “It was a little strange!” But then she said, “It was so beautiful, you did such a great job, and it just made me miss Garry even more.” I said, “I miss him, too.” That was all while we were hugging.

So the musical has Julia’s stamp of approval?

Yeah, I think she genuinely enjoyed it. The next day she called Heather, Garry’s assistant, and had four notes for me—which I will keep private. [Laughs] But they were fabulous notes, and they’re all things I’ve been working on. She really wants this to be a success for Garry, because it was his dream to make Pretty Woman into a musical.

Julia left some big black boots to fill. What makes Samantha Barks the perfect fit for this “Cinde-fuckin’-rella” story?

Whenever I’ve had the pleasure and responsibility of bringing a movie to the stage as a musical, the first thing I do is embrace the fact that I have an original score to tell the story. So I knew I needed someone who could really sing, but also someone who could play Vivian’s vulnerability and empowerment.

She’s a big star on London’s West End, but American audiences primarily know her as Eponine in the 2012 Les Misérables movie.

I’d met Sam a few years ago when I was in London working on Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and she was doing City of Angels. We had a cup of tea and talked about the possibility of working together. Initially, I did think I needed an American actress to play Vivian for Broadway. I auditioned a lot of people, but when Sam came in to audition, I knew I’d found my Vivian. The minute she sang the songs, I knew I’d found the girl who would break my heart.

Like Julia, she has to make a prostitute lovable in a world largely biased against sex workers. Did you see Vivian’s profession as an obstacle?

It never was for me. I’m telling a Cinderella story. It’s not about her being a sex worker, and it’s not promoting sex work. Yes, she’s a prostitute, but it’s more about two people from different worlds who meet by chance and begin to fall in love. It’s like La Traviata, which is why that opera was chosen to be a part of their story.

Pretty Woman/Matthew Murphy

The movie has so many iconic moments and quotable lines. What kind of pressure does that put on you?

Well, each movie-to-musical comes with its own expectations and challenges, and I was very aware that Pretty Woman is beloved by almost 30 years of moviegoers. I fell in love with the movie for very specific reasons, and as I’ve grown as a director and choreographer, I understand which of those things would and wouldn’t work on stage. Garry and I worked together for two years before he passed, so he was around for a lot of those decisions. Some were more sacred to me than others, but those iconic moments were like fence posts for me to hook the story and follow it through.

What’s a memorable moment in the movie that didn’t make the cut?

Everyone loves the snails scene, but that would’ve been hard to do on stage. Garry’s mom was a dance teacher, so he really wanted Vivian to dance. I thought we could develop that dinner scene as an opportunity to have her dance. In the film she charms everyone at the dinner table, but now she charms them on the dance floor.

What’s a movie moment that felt especially important for you to recreate faithfully?

Vivian telling Edward, “In case I forget to tell you later, I had a really good time tonight.” I think it’s one of the moving lines ever.

Pretty Woman/Matthew Murphy

You must have dealt with similar issues bringing Legally Blonde to Broadway in 2007.

Oh, I learned so much from that experience that helped me on Pretty Woman, but that film had only been out since 2001. Some Pretty Woman fans have lived with the movie for almost 30 years, so it’s very important to them. The most thrilling thing for me is when I meet these people at the back of the theater. One woman told me, “I’m a huge fan of the film and I was skeptical of a musical, but boy, you did it!”

Is the movie important to you?

Yeah, I wanted to make Pretty Woman into a musical right after it came out. I actually tried to get the rights back when I was a dancer, just as I tried to get the rights to Hairspray. I couldn’t get them, of course, because no one thought I knew what I was doing. It’s ironic that I’ve gotten to work on both.

Adaptations of smaller films like The Band’s Visit or Kinky Boots seem to get a pass, but some theatergoers still scoff at Broadway musicals based on popular mainstream movies. How do you respond to that skepticism?

Just because a film is successful doesn’t mean it can’t also be successful as a musical. You just have to put the right people together to translate that story into the world of musical theater. First and foremost, Pretty Woman is a great Cinderella story. I’ve always wanted to make it into a musical because I believe in that story.

Pretty Woman/Matthew Murphy

What’s your primary goal when developing a film into a musical?

It’s about finding a way to match the intent of the original material. When I’m watching a film as a director or choreographer developing it into a musical, I watch for the close-ups with no words, because often those are keys to the musical moments. “Big mistake,” for example, is obviously a great line, but it’s what Vivian does after that moment, the look on her face, that I wanted to capture in song.

Pretty Woman has more sex scenes than most Broadway musicals. How did you navigate those?

With my work on Broadway Bares and doing Peepshow in Las Vegas, I’ve learned how far you can go. It’s good to leave some things to the imagination, because you don’t want to offend anyone or make anyone disengage. Like that scene in the movie where Vivian crawls over to Edward, Garry had her get a pillow first to put on the floor. I thought was was a brilliant comic beat for a moment that could’ve been perceived as too risqué.

Compared to Kinky Boots, Pretty Woman is pretty straight, isn’t it?

This is true. I have two straight older brothers, so when I was working on this show I thought a lot about them, their relationships with their wives, and how they fell in love. I also thought a lot about my parents.

Pretty Woman/Matthew Murphy

Did you look for ways to include any winks or gifts for the LGBTQ audience?

Maybe. In the first bar scene, I have two men, boyfriends, holding hands and then having an argument.

Not to out any of your characters, Jerry, but I also got a queer vibe from Mr. Thompson, the Beverly Wilshire hotel manager. Was that intentional?

Well, to me, in this Cinderella story, he’s the fairy godfather. Right? That’s why I have Eric Anderson, who plays Mr. Thompson, also playing the Happy Man, asking, “What’s your dream?”

There’s also a same-sex dance number with Mr. Thompson and the bellboy played by Tommy Bracco. What inspired that?

I was actually watching these two gay tango dancers on YouTube and thought, That’s how I’ll teach Vivian to dance! Mr. Thompson will use the bellboy to show her the steps! It looks charming and funny because of their height difference, but that’s a real tango.

The inspirational takeaway of Kinky Boots is “Just be who you want to be.” What’s Pretty Woman’s core message?

“Never give up on a dream.” I’ve based my whole life on that. If I’d ever stopped dreaming, I wouldn’t be here doing what I’m doing today. I’ve made many wishes that haven’t come true yet—maybe they will, maybe they won’t—but you can never give up, because hanging on to a dream will give you life.

Pretty Woman: The Musical is now playing at the Nederlander Theatre in New York.

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