'Pretty Woman' musical brings needed romance, Pittsburgh cast member says

PITTSBURGH — Romance, iconic lines, a Broadway superstar and an original score by a classic rocker — the recipe looks right for "Pretty Woman: The Musical."

Makers of the Broadway musical that visits the Benedum Center for eight performances Feb. 1-6 didn't tinker much with the original storyline that has enchanted millions of people since the 1990 film with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.

"Every bit of 'Pretty Woman' magic you remember, all the grand romance is what we're gonna give you," cast member Matthew Stocke, a Green Tree native, said. "If you love the movie, you will love the musical."

Tony Award nominee Adam Pascal, famed for the original "Rent," steps into the well-heeled shoes of Edward Lewis, as he did for a limited set of performances in 2019. Pascal will be joined by rising star Olivia Valli ("Jersey Boys") as the enchanting Vivian Ward.

Stocke, who plays cold-hearted lawyer Phillip Stuckey, also helped develop "Pretty Woman: The Musical" in 2015-16, and said, "no way were we not going to give people what they wanted. If we tried to reinvent it that would be a disservice to such a beloved film.

"All the well-known lines, the red dress, the opera... it's there."

Chatting between show dates in Boston, Stocke said the tour has fared very well since its October launch, "because people love the movie, and given the current climate, a little unabashed romance is what is needed right now."

He said, "I love playing the bad guy (portrayed by Jason Alexander in the film). It is delicious to play this role. The first thing people have said when I told them which character I'm playing is 'Eww,' and rightfully so. He's a Gordon Gekko, but even more of a creep and a misogynist. But he's also charming."

Stocke, a Carnegie Mellon grad, played that part on Broadway, too, immersing himself in the persona of a money-hungry lawyer who drives a Lotus Esprit and wears expensive watches.

A few aspects of the show were updated to reflect the current environment, "but the original setting and a lot of '90s is still there. Like shoulder pads and big hair, double-breasted suits. We're very loyal and true to all that," Stocke said.

Working with Pascal is a thrill.

"Adam is the best. He's the real deal," Stocke said. "I saw him in 'Rent' in 1996, and that show changed my life. I was the target audience, having just moved to New York with aspirations of a stage career and as someone who fancied himself a Bohemian."

Now he jokes about him and Pascal being the old guys in "Pretty Woman."

"So, we're the ones always looking for the best sushi restaurants and talking about heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden. But that dude's vocals are on another level," Stocke said. "I worship at the altar that is Adam Pascal."

Filling the thigh-high boots of Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman The Musical" is Valli, granddaughter of famed singer Frankie Valli.

"I don't have enough superlatives for her," Stocke said. "Besides being one of the kindest, sweetest, funniest people about as close to the Julia Roberts character as can be, she blows the door off the joint with her singing voice. And she's beautiful, which certainly helps, I mean the show is called 'Pretty Woman.' The two of them (Pascal and Valli) have wonderful chemistry."

Western Pennsylvania theatergoers first saw Stocke on the Benedum stage in 2000 in the inaugural national tour of "Titanic."

Stocke said, "That was validating because growing up in Pittsburgh, I never got hired by the Pittsburgh CLO (theater group.)" His voice noticeably rising, Stocke somewhat playfully adds, "NOT THAT I'M STILL BITTER ABOUT THAT. So 'Titanic' was kind of like a victory lap. This show is different.

"I love Pittsburgh better than any other city. So I love I get to perform in an uplifting show in The 'Burgh at the beautiful Benedum. I just wish it wasn't only for one week."

Stocke also appeared in the national tour of "Rock of Ages" alongside rock star Dee Snider — a cool twist of fate, given Stocke's first concert, at the age of 12, featured Snider's metal band Twisted Sister in 1983 at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena.

"When I think back to that first concert, I wonder what if there had been an otherworldly spirit that night who came up behind me and whispered '28 years from now, you'll be in a Broadway musical with that guy.' That would have been absolutely absurd," Stocke said.

With "Pretty Woman," he's performing music from another rocker, Mr. "Summer of '69" himself, Bryan Adams, who co-wrote the score.

The show's music director, Daniel Klintworth, leads a band that includes Tish Diaz (keyboards), Oscar Bautista (guitar), Claudio Rainó (guitar), Magda Kress (bass) and Kevin McNaughton (drums).

Naturally, they play Roy Orbison's smash hit song “Oh, Pretty Woman,”

As a native Pittsburgher, Stocke is jazzed about getting to serve as a tour guide for the cast.

"I've not had a permanent residence there since 1995, but I've done a lot of research. There are a lot of new restaurants downtown near the theater," he said.

Stocke has appeared in multiple episodes of "Law & Order" and FX's "The Americans." Though he got more feedback when viewers spotted him as a dancing Snapple bottle in a "30 Rock" episode, and in a scene of "The Sopranos" as an EMT lugging Silvio (Steven Van Zandt) down steps in a gurney toward an ambulance accidentally blocked by Bobby Bacala.

"So I got to mouth off to (Bobby)," Stocke said.

Van Zandt kept apologizing he weighed so much, after Stocke repeatedly carried him down the steps as the director insisted on shooting that scene over and over on a 95-degree New Jersey day.

"The Sopranos always shot like a movie," Stocke said.

Heat won't be an issue when he enthusiastically takes the stage in Pittsburgh.

"I'm a proud Yinzer, a Carnegie Mellon Tartan, it's my home and I have a feeling I'll probably end up back there living someday," Stocke said.

He can't wait to see the audiences in his native town.

"The numbers keep trending in the right direction, and hopefully we've crested the last wave of this nonsense, so it's time to boost your spirits with a romantic show."

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Scott Tady is the local Entertainment Reporter for The Beaver County Times and Ellwood City Ledger. He's easy to reach at stady@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @scotttady.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: 'Pretty Woman: The Musical' to whisk away theatregoers in Pittsburgh