She won our hearts on "I'd Do Anything" all those years ago and ever since, Samantha Barks' career has gone from strength to strength on both sides of the pond! Now, our favourite big-screen Eponine is heading to Broadway as the lead in the stage adaptation of PRETTY WOMAN opposite Steve Kazee...
The show will have original music by Bryan Adams and will begin performances on Broadway next autumn.
Julia Roberts won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the hit film, which has been ranked as the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time. She played Vivian, a prostitute hired by businessman Edward, played by Richard Gere, to be his escort for a week in LA.
Producer Paula Wagner said the show "will have the heart, humour, warmth and joy of the film". She said director Jerry Mitchell and choreographer had "expanded the narrative and storytelling" of the movie and added: "We found two amazing, charismatic actors with incredible chemistry to play Vivian and Edward - the gorgeous triple-threat Samantha Barks, and one of Broadway's most dashing and talented leading men, Steve Kazee."
Garry Marshall, who directed the original film, worked on the script for the musical before he died in 2016.
Jerry Mitchell said: "I got to work with Garry for over a year on this musical adaptation and experienced first hand his sense of humour, his joy, his uplifting attitude in life, and mostly his love for these characters. I want that to infuse what I am doing with Pretty Woman as he is the true heart of this story."
The show will premiere at Chicago's Oriental Theatre in the spring of 2018 before moving to Broadway.
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