By Joanne Von Furstenburg | Posted on February 04, 2018 6:17 PM
Both Tootsie (1982) And Pretty Woman (1990) Are More Than Beloved Film; They Are Now Broadway Musicals Coming Within The Next Year And Change.
“Pretty Woman” Musical Is Coming This Summer
On July 20, 2018, Pretty Woman will begin previews at the Nederlander Theatre, ahead of an opening night on August 16, 2018, followed up an open-ended run. The musical will first have its world premiere this spring in Chicago, playing a strict five-week engagement from March 13, 2018.
With a book written by Garry Marshall, who directed the film, and J.F. Lawton, who wrote the screenplay, the music and lyrics are by Grammy winner Bryan Adams along with his longtime songwriting partner, Jim Vallance.
Talented Creative Team
The cast is led by Samantha Barks as Vivian and Steve Kazee as Edward. The main cast also includes Kingsley Leggs playing James Morse, Jason Danieley playing Philip Stuckey, Eric Anderson playing Mr. Thompson, and Orfeh playing Kit.
The Nederlander Theatre is a new addition to this show’s plans, taking over the house last occupied by War Paint, and before that by Motown the Musical, Disaster!, and Newsies. The beloved 1990 film Pretty Woman starred Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and as these venerated stars are reaching the core age of the Broadway ticketbuying audience, it has now metastasized into a musical.
“Tootsie” Musical To Follow Next Year
The 1982 film Tootsie, starring Dustin Hoffman as a struggling actor who cross-dresses to become a star, a device also employed by the musical Victor Victoria. Now, Tootsie is a musical too!
A tryout production will take place this next fall in Chicago, not long after Pretty Woman used that same city as a pre-Broadway stop. In this case, Tootsie will station itself at the Cadillac Theater, with performances from September 11, 2018 to October 14, 2018.
Santino Fontana To Play Lead Role
The lead role of Michael Dorsey is to be played by Santino Fontana (Sons of the Prophet, Cinderella, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”). Further cast has not yet been announced. The score is by David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit), with a book by Robert Horn (Thirteen) and the director is eight-time Tony nominee Scott Ellis (She Loves Me).
Following the Chicago tryout, the show will land on Broadway, aiming for spring 2019. The producer of this show is Scott Sanders, whose credits include last season’s Tony Award winning revival of The Color Purple.
