Danny Mac, Aimie Atkinson and Pretty Woman cast talk bringing the film to life on stage
While there are plenty of screen-to-stage adaptations adorning the West End, there aren't many that have garnered quite the excitement and attention (not to mention ticket sales) as Pretty Woman has since it announced its Broadway transfer.
The '90s rom-com lends itself perfectly to the stage, fusing with passion, tenderness and laugh-out-loud moments to create the story so many know and love. Not to mention a rocky musical theatre score by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance (but yes, rest assured, Roy Orbison's eponymous number does feature).
Tasked with taking on the roles made famous by Richard Gere and Julia Roberts are West End favourites Danny Mac and Aimie Atkinson, who play billionaire Edward Lewis and love interest Vivian Ward.
It's no mean task, but speaking to LondonTheatre.co.uk in the exclusive interview you can watch above, they revealed how useful it was to have the film's screenwriter JF Lawton not only pen the book to the musical, but also act as a writer-in-the-room.
"There's a joy of being able to take the roles, not recreate them but re-embellish them and rediscover them", Mac told us. "We're blessed to be able to work with some of the original team who wrote the movie, and to get that freedom with the characters, and the insight, that's what's made it all the better.
"I know things about Edward that only Richard Gere knew, or maybe he didn't even know it, because it was only in JF's head."
Atkinson added: "He's been able to tell us little insights you didn't really see in the movie, so going back to the core of who Edward and Vivian are. Obviously, we stay very true to the movie, but we get to put our own take on the characters."
You can watch the full video with Mac, Atkinson, and co-stars Bob Harms and Rachael Wooding, above.
Pretty Woman officially opens at the Piccadilly Theatre on Monday, 2nd March and is booking until 2nd Janaury 2021.
Pretty Woman: the Musical tickets tickets are available now.
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