Pretty Woman: The Musical at Theatre Royal Nottingham

The 1990 modern-day fairy tale is getting the full musical treatment, and Nottingham is one of its stops. Pretty Woman: The Musical lands at the Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall on Theatre Square from Tuesday 21 September to Saturday 2 October 2027, playing in the Main Auditorium. It's a run of twelve days with a mix of evening and matinee slots, so there's a fair bit of flexibility if you're trying to fit it around work or school.

The pedigree behind it is the first thing worth knowing. The show is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell, who also did Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde and Hairspray, and it runs to an original rock score by Grammy winners Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, the duo behind Summer of '69 and Heaven. The book comes from film director Garry Marshall and screenwriter J.F. Lawton, and yes, Roy Orbison and Bill Dees' Oh, Pretty Woman makes an appearance. It's based on the New Regency Productions film that paired Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, and it's been touring the UK and Ireland since its first sold-out run in 2023.

On stage, Molly Rainford takes on Vivian Ward in her stage debut, and Danny Walters plays Edward Lewis, with Bernadette Bangura as Kit De Luca. Rainford is best known as Anna Knight in EastEnders and for the title role in CBBC's Nova Jones, and she's a familiar face from Britain's Got Talent in 2012 and Strictly Come Dancing in 2022. Walters played Keanu Taylor in EastEnders, a role that picked up an International Achievement Recognition Award for Best Young Actor, a National Television Award for Best Newcomer and a Radio Times Soap Award for Best Exit, and he's also been in Benidorn, Call the Midwife and Our World War. Bangura comes off the UK and Ireland tour of Waitress, with a CV that includes Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Moulin Rouge! at the Piccadilly Theatre, Once On This Island at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum and Jesus Christ Superstar at the Barbican. The rest of the company is a large ensemble, and more casting is still to be announced.

A few practical things before you book. The show runs two hours and twenty minutes including the interval, and doors open an hour before each performance. It's rated 12+, with under-14s needing an adult aged 18 or over. Standard tickets range from £25.50 to £71.00, with Friday and Saturday matinees and the Saturday evening show sitting a bit higher at £27.50 to £75.00, split across Stalls, Dress Circle, Upper Circle and Balcony. There are discounts for members, under-26s and groups of ten or more, though they mostly apply to the weekday evening and Wednesday matinee slots in the first week, so it's worth checking the fine print if you're chasing a cheaper seat. Tickets go through ATG Tickets, and the box office is on 0115 989 5555 if you'd rather sort it over the phone.