| What: Pretty Woman – the musical When: March 19 to April 19, 2026 Where: Artscape, Cape Town Bookings: Ticketmaster or see https://showtime.co.za/prettywoman/ Book: Garry Marshall and J. F. Lawton Cast: Includes Leah Mari, Christopher Jaftha, Tiaan Rautenbach, Bo Molefe, Daniel Conradie, Thuto Gaasenwe, Philip Stuckey, Bradley Smith, Stuart Brown, Bella Smith, James Mc Phail, Daniel Meaker, Dylan du Plessis, Sandi Dlangalala, Chichi Nwoha, Yethu Kibi, Virtuous Kandemiri, Liyabuya Gongo, Jordan Rogers, Lesego van Niekerk, Michelle Juncker, Gugu Dhlamini, Yahto Kraft, Ashley Scott and Jonathan Raath Songs: Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance Choreography: by Tony Award® winner Jerry Mitchell International creative team: Working with the South African production – original Broadway Production Direction and Choreography re-created by Rusty Mowery and Will van Dyke – musical supervisor Local creative team: Includes Darren Greeff (resident director and choreographer), Alistair Kilbee (technical director), David Classen (sound design), Kieran McGregor (lighting design) and Daniel Butcher-Geddes (musical director) |
It was a lot of fun to attend the opening last night. March 22, of Pretty Woman – the musical at Artscape. The season in Cape Town, runs March 19 to April 19, 2026. A season follows in Johannesburg. Thoroughly enjoyed the musical, based on the 1990 film of the same name, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. It is the SA premiere of the musical.
The production features Fleur du Cap Theatre Award winning Leah Mari as Vivian and Christopher Jaftha as Edward. The show is beautifully staged, with a vibrant ensemble cast and live band. Leah Mari and Christopher Jaftha make up for a dashing and charming couple. Mari channels Julia Roberts into a grittier Vivian. The 2026 Vivian is more self-reflective and frequently sardonic. For instance, she muses: “I would never belong to a club that would have me as a member”. That line is famously attributed to Groucho Marx. I don’t recall that in the film and searching online, it looks like it has been added into the musical.
We were blown away by Bo Molefe who plays the role of the bell boy, Giulio. His comedic timing, dancing and physical performance is mesmerising – with shades of acrobat, clown, jester. He is the omniscient figure in this production – as sidekick, prop, prompter. It is the first time we are seeing this talented performer, on the Cape Town stage. He is 23! A mind blowing talent. Molefe brings the house down in the scene where Mr. Thompson instructs Vivian in the art of tango. Award winning Tiaan Rautenbach plays Mr Thompson/Happy Man and is a sensation, with his characterisations (multiple characters) and dance. I was entranced watching him as the zany Gomez Addams in The Addams Family Musical in Cape Town (December 2024, to February 2025) and it is a treat to see him again, in meaty role/s in Pretty Woman,
This South African production, produced by Showtime SA is testament again to the calibre of South African talent. They have done wonders with a musical which doesn’t in my opinion deliver a knockout song list – besides from Roy Orbison’s iconic song, Oh, Pretty Woman (written with Bill Dees, recorded in 1964). The song was penned apparently, when Orbison’s “wife was heading out the door, and he joked about whether she had enough money. Dees chimed in, ‘A pretty woman never needs any money’, and within minutes, they started writing.” https://collider.com/1960-roy-orbison-song-inspired-by-julia-roberts-pretty-woman-film/ According to Collider, the film Pretty Woman “wasn’t intended to be the romantic classic it’s know as today” but “was envisioned as a gritty film confronting class, power, and survival.” But when Julia Roberts and Richard Gere came on board, it became a light and upbeat romcom.
Circling back to Pretty Woman, South Africa 2026, Showtime SA has delivered an upbeat and fun show, with a hugely talented cast. Mari, an extraordinary actress does channel darker and grittier elements in her performance but the overall vibe of the production is a high energy celebratory bash. Let’s not go into rabbit holes regarding the lyrics of the song, feminism, gender stereotyping tropes etc. It is a fantasy musical with a fabulous love story. It is a great love story. Ahh – who can resist this story.
The costumes are divine – Vivian’s wardrobe – the polka dot dress, the signature Pretty Woman RED dress. The set is beautifully rendered with palm trees framing the scenes, emblematic of Hollywood, where dreams come true. It is exhilarating theatre to witness when Vivian and Edward go up in the lift to his penthouse in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. They enter, as if by magic, a dream world. The transitions between set changes in this musical are seamless, with lovely use of props dropped in to ring shifts in locations in the story – including Hollywood Boulevard, hotel, opera and Rodeo Drive (the shopping mecca, and the fabulous line that Vivian gets to utter: Huge Mistake). Pretty Woman is a much needed antidote in this world with all its wars, death, grief and anxieties.
✳ Pretty Woman – the musical – South Africa 2026. Pic: Supplied by Showtime Management.
