Stepping into iconic roles: Chase Wolfe, Ellie Baker create chemistry to bring 'Pretty Woman' to life

Jan. 19—Chase Wolfe is excited to get back on stage after Christmas break.

Wolfe is playing Edward Lewis on the North American Tour of "Pretty Woman: The Musical."

"It's kind of surreal," Wolfe says. "It hasn't hit me that I'm a lead in a Broadway musical. I've been working at this for so long. It's an amazing feeling to get out on stage. I went from a high schooler that enjoyed musical theater to being a lead."

"Pretty Woman: The Musical" will begin its six-performance run on Thursday, Jan. 25, through Sunday, Jan. 28, at Popejoy Hall.

It is based on the 1990 film "Pretty Woman" starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.

The musical centers around Vivian Ward, a free-spirited Hollywood prostitute who lives with her sarcastic, wisecracking Greek American best friend and roommate Kit De Luca.

Kit taught Vivian the prostitute trade.

Vivian is hired by Edward Lewis, a handsome wealthy businessman, to be his escort for several business and social functions, and their relationship develops over the course of her week-long stay with him.

Leading the tour as Vivian Ward and Edward Lewis are Ellie Baker and Wolfe.

Joining them are Rae Davenport as Kit De Luca, Adam Du Plessis as Happy Man/Mr. Thompson and Liam Searcy as Philip Stuckey.

Rounding out the company is Matthew Blum, Brianna Clark, Kerry D'Jovanni, Vincent DiPeri, Lauren Esser, Charlie Fusari, Steven Gagliano, Justin Glass, Christian Maxwell Henry, Alexandra Kinsley, Joshua Kring, Bethany McDonald, Robert Miller, Hank Santos, Taylor M. Sheppard, Devyn Trondson, Elana Valastro, Sarah Wang and Channing Weir.

It made its world premiere at the Oriental Theatre in Chicago on March 13, 2018, for a limited five-week run.

Following its initial run it transferred to Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre beginning previews on July 20, 2018, before the official opening on Aug. 16, 2018.

"Pretty Woman: The Musical" ended its 13-month run at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway on Aug. 18, 2019.

The musical began performances in Hamburg, Germany on Sept. 24, 2019, and opened in London's West End in February 2020 before COVID-19 shuttered theaters around the world. The London production reopened July 8, 2021, to great acclaim at the Savoy Theatre in the West End.

The musical features an original score by Grammy winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, and a book by the movie's legendary director Garry Marshall and screenwriter J. F. Lawton.

Original scenic design is done by David Rockwell, costume design by Gregg Barnes, lighting design by Kenneth Posner and Philip S. Rosenberg, sound design by John Shivers, hair design by Josh Marquette, makeup design by Fiona Mifsud, and music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Will Van Dyke.

Wolfe says working with Baker on stage is an amazing gift.

"We're friends on and off stage," Wolfe says. "We are true partners on stage being there for each other. It's refreshing to know that someone has my back."

Baker loves playing Vivian.

"I think she's such a bright light in a very gray-scaled world," Baker says. "Vivian does wear her heart on her sleeve. She leads with her heart. She feels kind and giving and makes it fun on stage."

Because the 1990 film is beloved, Baker admits to having some reservations taking the role of Vivian, which was played by Roberts on screen.

"I had to put my own spin on Vivian," Baker says. "If I tried to play it the way Julia Roberts did, the audience would be disappointed. I focus on Vivian's personality traits."

Meanwhile, Wolfe spends most of the performance in a three-piece suit.

He says he's comfortable with dressing up.

"I was working on a cruise when I got the audition for the role," Wolfe says. "I snuck off the boat when we were docked and I auditioned. For work, I already had to wear a suit, so I went to the audition with that. A week later, I got the role of Edward."

When it came to rehearsals, Wolfe would get with the rest of the cast and run through the lines.

Dressed casually in shorts and a T-shirt, Wolfe was asked by the director to come dressed in a suit for the rehearsals.

"Dressing up really helped inform the character," Wolfe says. "It was a great way to get into the character."

After a few months of portraying Edward Lewis, Wolfe has learned from the character.

"I think I've learned it's hard to learn from Edward because he transitions and changes," Wolfe says. "He meets this girl who gives him the freedom to be himself. When I step into Edward's shoes, it's a reminder to not let work encompass everything and to enjoy the little things in life. I'm a little bit of a workaholic in this industry."