I saw this yesterday and gotta say was kind of surprised, I was expecting something just terrible based on some of the posts, but surprise it was actually a pretty decent pretty woman.
I loved the staging of this piece, I think this is Jerry Mitchell's strong point. I whole heartly agree the opera scene is wonderful and magical, and felt very different from the rest of the show. I also loved David Rockwell's Sets, especially his neon hollywood blvd.
Samantha Barks is really lovely, winning, and in great voice although her southern accent comes and goes, it didn't bother me. I hope this does for her what the original did for Julia Roberts. And like all on here, Eric Anderson walks away with the show, his tango with the bell boy was one of the few highlights.
Now for the not so great, Steve Kazezee looks really bored, he's in great voice, but he has no chemistry with Samantha at all. I know the character is supposed to be uptight and proper, but even when he loosens up he still looks miserable. Also, the Bryan Adams score a few okay numbers, but overall it is generic. I can't remember any of it to save my life. I give props for trying.
However, my biggest gripe is the shows source material. Pretty Woman is such a strange piece. You have this cinderella story set against the grittiness of prostitution of Hollywood Blvd. It's very much I want my cake and eat it too story, which doesn't gel for me.
