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SCENE IT: Leah Mari shines bright as Vivian in PRETTY WOMAN THE MUSICAL
- Mar 27
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 31
Barbara Loots
Based on the Touchstone Pictures movie Pretty Woman, written by JF Lawton, PRETTY WOMAN THE MUSICAL taps into the nostalgia of the ‘90s romantic comedy, and relies heavily on that to keep audiences entertained. It makes for a fun theatre outing to the Artscape Opera House where the Showtime Management presented staging is currently running until 19 April 2026.
For those who have by some series of unfortunate events never had the pleasure of seeing the much-loved movie, Pretty Woman, a modern day Cinderella story, here’s in short summary: The story sees Vivian, a free spirited, small town girl turned prostitute, working Hollywood Boulevard with friend Kit De Luca. Per chance she crosses paths with wealthy bachelor, Edward, who doesn’t know how to drive a stick and can’t find his way back to his hotel. He just so happens to be in need of a no-strings-attached escort for a series of business functions for a week, all while he works towards a big take-over deal. The outcome? Vivian moves into the penthouse with him, charms everyone she meets, and convinces Edward that he can still be a big businessman without trampling on the dreams of other people, and they (presumably) live happily ever after because Vivian refuses to settle for anything less than her dream of feeling respected and loved.
The journey of getting PRETTY WOMAN THE MUSICAL to stage started in 2014, when the rights were secured, and culminated with it premiering in 2018 at the Oriental Theatre, Chicago: The musical being the sum of the book by Garry Marshall and JF Lawton, and music and lyrics by longtime collaborators, Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. With Lawton as the original screenwriter also adding his name to the book, it gives one a sense that the essence of the story will be well-respected in the stage version, and that is true. At the heart of it, this is still very much Vivian’s modern day fairy tale, with iconic movie moments making it into the musical: Scenes like the “Big Mistake, Huge” shopping outing, the night at the opera and the playful polo outing are all still there.
Jerry Mitchell, who originally directed the musical, describes the score as having “the feel of late '80s-early '90s rock”. With Adams and Vallance responsible for the music, the musical delivers on that promise. While you are seated in the Artscape Opera House, all the songs are easy on the ear, and you can’t help but smile as the music moves you along through the tale of Vivian and her Edward. Toes may even tap at various intervals.
However, when you exit the theatre, no earworm leaves with you: The one big missed opportunity in taking this story from screen to stage is the lack of anthems. The movie has names such as David Bowie (‘Fame 90’), Iggy Pop (‘Real Wild Child’), Prince (‘Kiss’), and Roxette (‘It Must Have Been Love’) associated with its soundtrack. The movie presents you with hit after hit, and that is part of its emotive charm. Yes, the musical retains a bit of that magic in giving the audience a taste of Roy Orbison’s ‘Pretty Woman’, but only really at the end where it feels to be employed to trick the audience into a standing ovation. Perhaps the music by Adams and Vallance would be experienced in a more moving manner by those who did not listen to the Pretty Woman cassette on repeat in their teens. Speaking as one of those teens though, the musical’s score just does not land the same way. And I say this with much respect to the team behind the musical: Anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that Bryan Adams is my all-time favourite artist – his music is the score to my life – so it brings me no joy to say that I just did not get the same emotional kick from the musical as I get from the movie.
Leaving aside sentimentality for the movie soundtrack (which would come with a lofty royalty bill for anyone who wants to use those hits), the musical’s offering is entertaining and the quality of music is top notch. It still has the typical Adams signature peeking through with beautiful rock ballad riffs. Praise must go to the six piece band who does justice to Adams and Vallance's vision in this South African staging.
In the movie, Vivian is played by Julia Roberts and Edward by Richard Gere. This sets up anyone who steps into the musical version role with the tasks of pretty big and impressive shoes to fill. Although audiences should not compare, it is in our DNA to do so when it comes to iconic roles: Anyone who takes on the roles of Vivian and Edward will to some degree be measured against Roberts and Gere, even if comparison is unfair. In the South African production, Leah Mari steps into the hot stiletto boots of Vivian/Roberts, while Christopher Jafta has the daunting task of becoming Edward/Gere.
Leah Mari shows why she is a musical superstar in the making with her performance and brings Roberts level warmth to her Vivian. She fills the stage with personality and energy, and her powerhouse vocals are phenomenal. Her portrayal of Vivian is colourful, strong and nuanced. Had she taken a solo curtain call I would have been on my feet to applaud her with much enthusiasm.
Sharing her spotlight with Jafta is where things get a bit tricky. He looks a good choice as Edward on paper but lacks stage presence in the live performance. Jafta’s vocals feel strained, as if he is singing from his throat rather than properly utilising his diaphragm. His clenched jaw performance feels forced. There is no real chemistry between his Edward and Leah Mari’s Vivian, and energy wise he also gives very little for the rest of the cast to play off of. I suspect this is the result of years of television work, making his performance feel smaller than it is supposed to be.
Luckily the rest of the ensemble gels very well: not a bum note or misstep in sight. The ensemble’s collective talent on display ups the energy level dramatically. They give dynamic performances throughout, resulting in magnificent moments between Leah Mari, Tiaan Rautenbach (as Happy Man in various cameos) and Bo Molefe (as bellhop, Giulio). At various points in the show, Rautenbach and Molefe are scene stealers in the best way possible: Their performances are pure joy and the audience eats out of the palms of their brilliant comedic hands. I would happily see this musical again just to further bask in the talent of Leah Mari, Rautenbach and Molefe.
The interaction between Leah Mari and Thuto Lesedi Gaasenwe (Kit De Luca), although cloaked in humour, has a lot of heart too, especially as it plays into the “you got a lot of potential” plot point.
Original scenic design by David Rockwell makes for a colourful staging, which impactfully highlights elements from the movie to contextualise scenes as the musical unfolds. This is amplified locally with lighting design by Kieran McGregor. As PRETTY WOMAN THE MUSICAL also relies heavily on the use of wigs, one must simply acknowledge the amazing work of Head of Wigs, Frances Moerdyk. So often in theatre wigs are an afterthought and look grassy and lifeless in quality. But not this time! Moerdyk has the right touch and understands the art of wig setting.
This romantic comedy musical promises to dazzle, with amazing vocals, warmth and humour. Go step back into the late ’80s Hollywood to relive a cherished love stories with PRETTY WOMAN THE MUSICAL at the Artscape Opera House until 19 April 2026. Please note this Showtime Management presented production carries an age restriction of 10+. Tickets can be booked online through Ticketmaster.