Tired of watching Fox News and Seinfeld reruns ? Consider taking your spouse out for a night on the town and enjoy an offering from the 2024 Broadway in Birmingham series, put on by The American Theatre Guild. If you have not visited downtown Birmingham in the Civic Center area recently you will be pleasantly surprised at the upgraded and renovated area surrounding the Legacy Arena and the offerings available in the theatre and concert hall. The aesthetically pleasing area now makes the long walk from a parking deck enjoyable and unintimidating.
Last night we travelled to the Magic City to take in the opening night of the musical Pretty Woman. This production is based on the 1990 romantic fantasy film by Garry Marshall that starred Julia Roberts and Richard Gere and stars climbing performers Ellie Baker and Chase Wolfe in the lead roles. Rae Davenport and Adam DuPlessis delivered in their supporting roles with a great vocal performance by Davenport and light humor from DuPlessis.
Pretty Woman is an imaginative story where a billionaire businessman becomes infatuated with a streetwalker he picked up in Hollywood. He needs a date for business related events so he lavishes her with expensive clothing and makeovers and transforms her into an appealing future partner. Along the way he transforms himself from an unethical corporate raider into a lovestruck philanthropist. The storyline does not really work well these days but the musical itself was enjoyable and the performers put themselves into delivering an entertaining evening. At least 20 supporting performers delivered well choreographed dance routines accompanied by seamless scenery transitions that were well done.
While national reviews of the musical itself over the years have not been complimentary the critics are not so easy to please. In spite of the warnings from Googled professional reviews we enjoyed the music and the 2.5 hours of worthwhile entertainment. After all, Broadway level live productions are rare in our state’s big cities and we hope to see it continue. The 2024 season has some interesting offerings and tickets are still available for season purchasers or single events.
Overall the performance of Pretty Woman in Birmingham was an enjoyable experience and we recommend it to you if you venture out for an evening. You can find the season schedule at the link below. Pretty Woman runs through May 5.
The BJCC Concert Hall is a 2,835-capacity theatre hosting national touring concerts & family entertainment. The Concert Hall serves as the home of Broadway in Birmingham, bringing top Broadway productions to Birmingham every year.
If you go you should review the event rules that govern what you can bring or take in to the facility. It’s a long walk back to the car to store your wife’s purse. You can check out their website at the link below.
https://www.bjcc.org/plan-your-visit/faqs/#bag-policy
https://americantheatreguild.com/birmingham/shows/
