Pretty Woman, Edinburgh Playhouse****: a Hollywood dream that is richly entertaining

Everyone knows the story of Pretty Woman, the 1990 smash hit movie which starred Julia Roberts and Richard Gere - and everyone attending the stage musical gets exactly what they hoped for, and leaves richly entertained.

It’s a fantasy world where an ultra rich man hires a street hooker for a week and ends up falling in love with her - if you’re heading along expecting a gritty, MeToo era inspired re-appraisal of those issues then you are gonna be disappointed. As the superb Ore Oduba says in his opening scene as the Happy Man, as close to a narrator or guide as it gets, “welcome to Hollywood, what’s your dream?”

Strictly star Oduba brings charm and the lightest of touch to his multiple roles - there’s a lightning change from Happy Man to Mr Thompson, the hotel owner, while he also crops up as a nightclub singer and even takes over as the orchestra conductor with perfect comic timing.

Obuda’s warmth resonates throughout this show and sits at the heart of a cast filled with great performances which wrap around, and fully complement, leads Amber Davies as Vivian, and Oliver Savile as Edward, while the impeccable comedy timing of Noah Harrison as bell-hop Guilio was simply joyful.

Davies and Savile fit the lead roles perfectly and have a wonderful chemistry which grows across the two acts. Both also display some fabulous vocals to bring the smashing 80s-inspired musical score - courtesy of Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance to life. The songs, including some soaring ballads, really tell a huge part of the story of the two characters whose worlds collide and are never the same again. The musical score fits like a glove, and the cast deliver it with style and power.

Davies was sensational on This Is My Life and I Can’t Go Back, while Savile’s Long Way Home caught the moment perfectly, but special mention has to go tom Natalie Paris as the street girl with her own dreams and hopes, who unleashes some powerhouse vocals - and just when you think you’ve heard it all, along comes Lila Falce-Bass with an opera tour de force.

Pretty Woman: The Musical sticks closely to Pretty Woman, the movie - and why not? It’s a fabulous show and richly entertaining.

At Edinburgh Playhouse until April 13. Tickets here: