Samantha Jade will play the lead role in the Broadway and West End hit Pretty Woman: The Musical when it comes to Australia later this year.
The 38-year-old told the Herald Sun she’s “grateful” to be playing the iconic character Vivian Ward in her first ever musical.
“I went into the first audition thinking, ‘Well, this is something I can say I’ve done’ which is, try out for a musical,” she told the publication. “I didn’t think I’d get the role. I never thought musical theatre was meant for me. It wasn’t a thing I did.”
Suzanne Jones of Jones Theatrical Group confirmed the casting, stating: “We knew from the first time Samantha auditioned that not offering her the role of Vivian would be a big mistake. Big. Huge! Her voice perfectly suits Bryan Adams’ iconic score and I know Australian audiences will fall in love with her when she makes her debut at QPAC in October.”
Pretty Woman: The Musical is based on the 1990s hit romantic comedy of the same name starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere.
“Pretty Woman is a comfort movie for me. I literally know every line in the film,” Jade said. “I want to make my mark in this stage version, and make this role about strength. Vivian really steps into her power in Pretty Woman.”
The musical tells the iconic story of a chance meeting between ruthless businessman Edward and free-spirited sex worker Vivian, with a fresh twist.
Since its debut on Broadway in 2018, Pretty Woman: The Musical has broken box office records and enthralled audiences in London’s West End, as well as in Spain, Italy and Germany. It features music and lyrics by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, with direction and choreography by Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell.
Samantha rose to fame in 2012 when she won X-Factor. Since then she has reached 91 million streams and 2.3 million sales worldwide and released the single ‘Shake That’ with Pitbull. In 2015, she released her album NINE, which hit #2 on the ARIA charts.
In 2023, she toured nationally with the Backstreet Boys and joined the cast of the second season of Celebrity Apprentice. And in 2024, Samantha danced her way to the top as the runner-up of Channel 7’s Dancing With The Stars.
The musical will premiere at QPAC in Brisbane this October before moving to Theatre Royal Sydney in November.
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