'Pretty Woman: The Musical' hitting the stage in Tucson

Broadway in Tucson is bringing “Pretty Woman: The Musical” to Centennial Hall next week, but if you are expecting a musical version of the sexy 1990 Julia Roberts-Richard Gere movie, you will be disappointed.

“We’ve really kept it more of a true, strong and concise story for Vivian and about her growth in finding herself and having a woman’s journey, which I think is so important for people to see and people to watch,” said Olivia Valli, who has the leading role in the touring version of the Broadway musical.

Valli, who has been on the road with the show since last October, said the national tour version of “Pretty Woman: The Musical” has been pared down from the Broadway show, which played for almost exactly a year from August 2018 to August 2019 before closing amid mostly negative reviews.

Valli, the granddaughter of famed 1960s teen heartthrob and Four Seasons frontman Frankie Valli, said producers of the tour version took some of that criticism to heart when they retooled the show for a 32-city tour that was supposed to kick off in October 2020. The show was delayed a year courtesy of the pandemic.

“We really trimmed the fat from the Broadway show. We took what didn’t work and just cut it or changed it,” said Valli, making her debut as a leading lady. “The audience still really loves it ... and if people haven’t, it’s because they’re expecting the movie to a T. And that’s just a waste of their time and money because it’s not. It’s a heightened musical version. But overall, honestly 98% of people really, really love this show.”

The storyline of “Pretty Woman: The Musical” closely follows the movie’s story: The rich and mysterious Edward hires the L.A. street-smart prostitute Vivian to be his escort for a week while he does business in the city. He wines and dines her and remakes her with fancy clothes and jewelry into something of a socialite.

But Valli said the musical version fleshes out Vivian’s character and the romance between her and Edward.

“She leaves Edward twice. She’s not afraid to say no and stick up for herself when she’s not being treated well,” Valli said.

The musical plays to a soundtrack by 1990s ballad king Bryan Adams (“Straight From the Heart,” “Everything I Do,” “Heaven”) and fellow Canadian songwriter Jim Vallance.

“Who else can take an opera and turn it into a ballad?” Valli said. “The music is just fun. You sit there and you’re like, ‘Oh, this reminds me of listening to ’80s or ’90s rock tunes on the radio.’ It’s just so nostalgic and so you can’t help but bob your head and have a really good time enjoying this really well done music.”

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Valli’s favorite song: “I Can’t Go Back,” which she said resonates with her journey coming to her first leading lady role.

Valli started her professional career straight out of college as a wedding singer, which she did for six months before landing a spot on the “Wicked” national tour covering the role of Elphaba.

She toured with “Wicked” for three years before taking a role as her own grandmother, Mary Delgado, in the off-Broadway version of “Jersey Boys,” the Tony-winning musical about her famous grandfather and his band.

Valli said she left the show after six months and intended to take a break from working when the pandemic hit in spring 2020.

She landed the role of Vivian in “Pretty Woman” after auditioning for the role of Vivian’s best friend Kit De Luca.

“When I got the callback, they handed me the packet for Vivian,” she recalled during a phone call from a tour stop in Seattle in late May. “They were like, ‘We think you would be able to handle this.’ So here I am playing Vivian, one of the most iconic roles ever created for a woman.”

Valli said in addition to showing Vivian’s strength and growth, “Pretty Woman: The Musical” adds more depth and romance to Vivian and Edward’s relationship.

“We watch Edward fall in love with Vivian in a really beautiful way,” she said.

The show opens at Centennial Hall on Tuesday, July 19, and runs through July 24, with matinees and evening performances on July 23 and 24.