Courtney Bowman to join cast of Pretty Woman and new extension announced

West End sensation Courtney Bowman will join the cast of Pretty Woman The Musical at the Savoy Theatre from 15 November 2022.

Bowman (Six, Arts Theatre/Lyric Theatre, Legally Blonde, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Apollo Theatre/Sheffield Crucible) will step into the role of Kit De Luca, while current cast member Andy Barke will take over full time as Happy Man/Mr Thompson.

With booking now extended until April 2023, the hit show’s producers have also confirmed original stars Aimie Atkinson (SIX, Arts Theatre, In The Heights, King’s Cross Theatre) and Danny Mac (Sunset Boulevard UK tour, White Christmas, Dominion Theatre) have extended their stay in the show and are now due to remain in their roles of Vivian Ward and Edward Lewis into 2023.

From 15 November Daniel Clift will join the production alongside current cast members John Addison, Jemma Alexander, Becky Anderson, Matt Bateman, Patrick Barrett, Robertina Bonano, Oliver Brenin, Alex Charles, Ben Darcy, Hannah Ducharme, Elishia Edwards, Tom Andrew Hargreaves, Antony Hewitt, Helen Hill, Mark Holden, Elly Jay, Matt Jones, Kurt Kansley, Georgia Kleopa, Annabelle Laing, Will Luckett, Curtis Patrick, Hassun Sharif, Cilla Silvia and Charlotte Elisabeth Yorke.

Following a Broadway run that ended in August 2019, the musical based on the much-loved 1990 romantic comedy Pretty Woman was originally due to play a limited 46-week run at the Piccadilly Theatre from 13 February 2020. The hit show returned in its new home, the Savoy Theatre, last summer.

Featuring music by multi-award-winning rock star Bryan Adams and his songwriting partner Jim Vallance, the stage musical version of the modern Cinderella story boasts a book co-written by the original film’s director, the late Garry Marshall and screenwriter J.F. Lawton.

Directed and choreographed by double Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell, Pretty Woman The Musical features scenic design by David Rockwell, costumes by Tom Rogers from the original Broadway designs by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Philip S. Rosenberg, sound design by John Shivers, hair design by Josh Marquette, and music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations by Will Van Dyke.

Pretty Woman: The Musical received its world premiere in Chicago in March 2018 ahead of its Broadway debut in August 2018. Samantha Barks (Les Misérables, Frozen) made her Broadway debut in the coveted title role alongside US TV star Steve Kazee (Nashville) whose last appearance on Broadway in Once had earned him a Tony Award.

The original movie version of the unlikely love story of the vibrant street-walker and the bored businessman who hires her as an escort and falls in love featured a career-launching performance from Julia Roberts. A relative unknown when she won the role, Roberts had co-starred in the low budget cult favourite Mystic Pizza and completed a supporting role in the, at the time, unreleased Steel Magnolias. She was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her performance in the film. As well as turning Roberts into Hollywood’s newest leading lady the film helped revitalise Richard Gere’s career which had stalled somewhat following the critical and audience success of American Gigolo and An Officer and a Gentleman.

Angela Thomas