Pretty Woman: The Musical Brings a Familiar Story to the Arsht Center Stage

If you read or utter the words "pretty woman," one of two things will happen: You'll either complete the lyrics and sing in your head (or aloud) that infamous line from the 1964 Roy Orbison song of the same name or you'll think of the 1990 movie starring a glowing Julia Roberts.

Select few will think of the 2019 Broadway musical inspired by the movie (and song).

In December, a pretty woman named Ellie Baker will not only be walking down the street, but she'll be walking up and down the stage at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

The New Jersey native stars as Vivian Ward in the touring production of Pretty Woman: The Musical, which marks her professional acting debut.

When preparing to step into the musical shoes of a character originally brought to life by someone as iconic as Julia Roberts, Baker says she tried not to let that influence her development.

"I've seen the movie so many times," Baker tells New Times over the phone from New York. "But I tried not to watch it for a bit while rehearsing. Julia Roberts is so iconic, and it's so easy to fall into the trap of, well, people love Julia Roberts, so I have to be Julia Roberts."
The young actress took a step back to find her voice and interpretation of Vivian. Baker describes the protagonist as a "strong, independent woman who just has a bad hand at life, but she's always stayed true to herself. She wears her heart on his sleeve. It is really challenging to be that vulnerable on stage for two full hours, but it is so rewarding in the end."

Based on the 1990 film, the musical follows the same overall premise. Down-on-her-luck girl meets billionaire boy. Boy falls for girl. Girl finds herself in the process. Girl emerges emotionally stronger. In essence, the film was light years ahead of its time.

"I would say the biggest difference is the music," Baker says, laughing. "All your favorite moments [from the movie] and all your favorite outfits are in there. It's all just heightened."

Ultimately, it's a show about love — both self-love and romantic. "These two people fall in love without ever saying, 'I love you' because of who they are deep down inside," she explains. "It's just a heartwarming story of what it means to be yourself and what it means to love somebody else, no matter what your circumstances are."

As a child in New Jersey, Baker recalls surprise trips with her mom to see a Broadway show in New York City. She chuckles as she tells the story of seeing Wicked for the first time. It was more than a decade ago, and a pre-teen Baker was mesmerized.
"We saw 'Defying Gravity' at the end of act one, and we get out into the lobby," Baker recalls. She then turned to her mother and said, "That was great. What do we want for dinner?"

Laughing at the silliness of the memory, Baker says, "My mom looks at me and says, 'There's a whole other act!'"

That night many years ago cemented her love of theater. Baker continued to master her craft and now gets to step into the role of Vivian night after night until the tour wraps next spring.

"It's really fun to be a goofy person on stage and kind of play every single night," says Baker of the experience. She takes advantage of the beauty of theater by adjusting a line or delivery each night to make each show a little more unique and special.

While she's having fun on stage, Baker does believe the audience will have an equally memorable time from their seats. Teasing the viewer, Baker quips, "You have to come to find out if we actually play the 'Pretty Woman' song."

Pretty Woman: The Musical. 8 p.m. Tuesday, December 5, through Friday, December 8; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, December 9; and 1 and 7 p.m. Sunday, December 10, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-949-6722; arshtcenter.org. Tickets cost $35 to $130.