Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts & Nederlander National Markets Broadway Comes To Reno proudly present
Dear Season Subscribers and Broadway Fans: We are excited to bring you another new Broadway show making its northern Nevada debut on the Pioneer Center stage. The iconic film Pretty Woman was developed into a Broadway musical by an all-star team of artists who deliver with beloved memories from the original along with new surprises and a pop score. The Broadway Backstory Newsletter is created by Pioneer Center Education to help you learn more about the shows in our Broadway Comes to Reno series. Below you will find information and links [in blue] to websites, videos, and articles about the history and creators of the show. Don’t forget to forward this email to the other subscribers and Broadway lovers in your party. During the entire week that Pretty Woman: The Musical plays the Pioneer Center, we are proud to be spotlighting the work of Food Bank of Northern Nevada. This local nonprofit provides food to people in need across our region. We will be collecting donations of canned and non-perishable food items from patrons attending the show. If you wish to participate, bring your items and deposit them in the barrels outside the theater doors as you enter. February is generally a slower time for food collections, and we hope to make an impact for people in our community. Thank you for your consideration. Your tickets to Pretty Woman: The Musical were emailed to you as a PDF attachment on Januar 23rd. Look for the subject line “Confirmation of Order Number.” We look forward to seeing you at the Pioneer Center soon!
Get the backstory on the Broadway hit
Pretty Woman: the Musical • The source material for the musical is the hit 1990 feature film of the same title. The original screenplay by J.F Lawton was a darker tale of drugs, prostitution, and corporate greed. When Disney’s Touchstone Pictures optioned the script and then attached Garry Marshall as the director, the result was a romantic comedy that debuted as the 4th highest grossing film behind Star Wars, E.T., and Indiana Jones. The film’s title was inspired by the 1964 Roy Orbison tune “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Starring newcomer Julia Roberts alongside Richard Gere and Jason Alexander, the movie became an instant American classic. • The Broadway musical adaptation was announced in 2014, with J.F. Lawton and Garry Marshall collaborating on the book. Lawton also wrote the screenplay for Under Seige. Marshall is best known for creating Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy, as well as directing Beaches, Overboard, and The Princess Diaries. He founded the Falcon Theatre (now the Garry Marshall Theatre) in Burbank. Marshall led the charge for Pretty Woman’s musical adaptation until his death in 2016. • Canadian songwriting team Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance were hired to create the score. Adams had hits like “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You,” “Please Forgive Me,” and “I Finally Found Someone” with Barbra Streisand. In addition to working with Adams, Vallance wrote hit songs for Heart, Aerosmith, and Glass Tiger. Their music is synonymous with the era of the film, making them an ideal team to write the music and lyrics. Both made their Broadway debuts with this show.
• Director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell was brought on the helm the production. A three-time Tony winner well-versed in movie-to-musical adaptations, Mitchell also directed Legally Blonde and Kinky Boots, and choreographed Hairspray, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Full Monty, Catch Me If You Can, and others. His next Broadway show about Betty Boop recently premiered in Chicago. • After developmental readings and the unfortunate loss of Marshall, a workshop lab of the material was held in New York in Fall 2017. The stage musical premiered in a 5-week out-of-town tryout at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre (now the James M. Nederlander Theatre) beginning in March 2018. • The production quickly transferred to Broadway, opening at the Nederlander Theatre on August 16, 2018. The original cast included Samantha Barks and Andy Karl. It ran for a full year, closing on August 18, 2019. • International productions opened in Hamburg, Germany in September 2019 and London’s West End in March 2020 – both were closed due to Covid, with London reopening in 2021 and running for two more years. Other productions include Cracow, Milan, Barcelona, and a UK/Ireland tour. • The US National tour, previously planned for Fall 2020, instead began in October 2021. • The Pioneer Center is pleased to welcome the current touring company of Pretty Woman: The Musical to northern Nevada. This tour will continue on to Detroit, Boston, Montreal, and Chicago among other cities. • Visit the tour’s official site HERE.
Learn More About the History and Cultural Significance of Pretty Woman: the Musical
• Pretty Woman can trace its inspiration back to ancient Roman poet Ovid. In 8 A.D., Ovid’s Metamorphosis made its debut, within which existed the tale of Pygmalion. Read about additional Western theatrical adaptations of Pygmalion through the ages HERE. • The film drew inspiration and its title from Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman.” Learn more about the song’s origins on NPR’s Fresh Air, HERE. • Pretty Woman in 1990 was not without controversy, even from often opposing sides. Through a modern feminist lens, this article explores the idea that the film deserves a second look as progressive cinema. Read the Writing Critics’ Wrongs article HERE. • Director Jerry Mitchell and songwriter Bryan Adams discuss the process of adapting Pretty Woman for the Broadway stage. Click HERE. • Listen to the Original Broadway Cast Recording on Spotify HERE.
Thank you to those who already participated in this survey during SIX: the Musical! The Broadway League is the national trade association for the Broadway theatre industry. As an official Broadway League member venue, the Pioneer Center is participating in a national survey to learn more about the essential people who make Broadway Comes to Reno a success – YOU, our patrons. This survey will assess the impact the Pioneer Center makes on the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area. No personal information is asked. The results will assist us in attaining more grants and resources, providing you with greater arts experiences and helping us achieve our mission. We ask each patron to consider participating. Please follow the link below to answer a short, 11-question anonymous survey.
Broadway League Survey