Pretty Woman

Marie Fredriksson, Singer of Roxette, Dies at 61

Marie Fredriksson, Singer of Roxette, Dies at 61

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Marie Fredriksson, singer of Swedish 80s pop duo, Roxette, died on Dec. 9. She was 61. Her management stated that the cause of death was brain cancer for which she received aggressive treatment after being diagnosed in 2002.

Roxette, which featured guitarist and singer Per Gessle, was an immensely successful group which notched several hits including the No. 1 1989 smash “The Look” and “It Must Have Been Love.” The latter was used in the movie “Pretty Woman.”

“It is with great sadness we have to announce that Marie Fredriksson of Roxette has passed away in the morning of December 9, following a 17-year long battle with cancer,” read a release from Dimberg Jernberg Management who described Fredriksson as “one of Sweden’s most loved and successful artists.” Roxette sold 80 million albums throughout their career.

Said Jonas Siljemark, President, Warner Music Nordics: “We’re deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Marie Frederiksson. She was an amazing artist who touched the lives of people around the world and leaves behind an incredible musical legacy.  Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad time.”

Said her former groupmate Gessle: “Time goes by so quickly. It’s not that long ago we spent days and nights in my tiny apartment in Halmstad, listening to music we loved, sharing impossible dreams. And what a dream we eventually got to share! Thank you, Marie, thanks for everything. You were an outstanding musician, a master of the voice, an amazing performer. Thanks for painting my black and white songs in the most beautiful colours. You were the most wonderful friend for over 40 years. I’m proud, honoured and happy to have been able to share so much of your time, talent, warmth, generosity and sense of humour. All my love goes out to you and your family. Things will never be the same.”

Listen: Broadway’s ‘Pretty Woman’ Star on Nostalgia, Reviews and Why the Musical Works Now

Listen: Broadway’s ‘Pretty Woman’ Star on Nostalgia, Reviews and Why the Musical Works Now

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Andy Karl knows a thing or two about Broadway musicals based on movies after playing the UPS guy in “Legally Blonde,” the Italian Stallion himself in “Rocky,” and the jaded weatherman in “Groundhog Day” (in an Olivier-winning performance). So when it comes to his latest project — “Pretty Woman,” the musical adaptation of the famous Julia Roberts-Richard Gere comedy — he knows that being faithful to the original is just as important as bringing something new to the table.

“[The musical] is very faithful to the film, and I don’t think you can get around that,” Karl said on the latest episode of “Stagecraft,” Variety‘s theater podcast. “This particular musical needs all the elements. It needs the dress, it needs the necklace, it needs certain lines,” he continued, referring to the iconic scene from the film in which Roberts, dressed in a red opera gown, gets an expensive necklace as a gift from Gere. “Doing shows like ‘Groundhog Day’ and ‘Rocky,’ I know there are certain things that you need throughout the piece to remind people of how much they love it. You’re working on a part of the brain that’s nostalgic.”

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The musical opened last month to very mixed reviews, but that hasn’t stopped audiences from turning out in droves. That’s just part of the reason Karl doesn’t place much trust in reviews anymore. “For ‘Groundhog Day’ … I had never read such glowing reviews before. Especially about myself! Five stars, all the way across, Olivier Award. But then we get to New York, reviews were great here, but we just couldn’t get audiences to come see it. It blew my mind. … Reviews, to me, have lessened in value.”

On “Stagecraft,” Karl also explained why he thinks the knight-in-shining-armor fairy tale of “Pretty Woman” works in today’s heightened awareness of gender parity issues: “She can save him right back.” Plus, he revealed why he loves sharing the stage with his wife, Orfeh (who co-stars in “Pretty Woman”), described his “Groundhog Day” tattoo, and let fans know how that knee is doing.

New episodes of “Stagecraft” are available every other Tuesday in July, August, and September, and then weekly beginning in October. Download and subscribe to “Stagecraft” on iTunes, Stitcher, or anywhere finer podcasts are dispensed. Find past episodes here and on Apple Podcasts.

‘Pretty Woman’ Broadway Cast Recalls Performing for Julia Roberts

‘Pretty Woman’ Broadway Cast Recalls Performing for Julia Roberts

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Samantha Barks didn’t watch Julia Roberts and Richard Gere’s iconic “Pretty Woman” in preparation for her starring role in the new Broadway musical adaptation of the 1990 film.

“It’s so hard to watch it because it’s such a beautiful, iconic performance,” Barks, who plays Vivian Ward, the hooker with a heart of gold, told Variety on Thursday at the musical’s opening night. “You can’t do your own thing for a minute and breathe. We’re lucky we have so many songs to sing, which adds new layers to the character.”

Though Roberts didn’t attend opening night at the Nederlander Theatre, she came to a performance while the show was running previews. The part of Vivian Ward launched Roberts into superstardom, so naturally, Barks said it was “petrifying” performing for her.

“Luckily, I didn’t know she was in the audience,” Barks recalled. “They made a speech [after the performance] like, ‘Oh, Julia Roberts is in the audience.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean Julia Roberts is in the audience?!’ I’m so grateful they kept it a secret from me.”

The cast all agreed Roberts couldn’t have been more gracious when she came backstage after the show.

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“She just hugged me for a minute and we didn’t let go,” Barks said. “She was so supportive and excited by what we were doing. I couldn’t ask for more. It was a dream.”

Orfeh portrays Vivian’s sassy roommate Kit De Luca, who shows Vivian the tricks of the trade. Roberts told Orfeh that seeing the show made her miss Laura San Giacomo, the actress who plays Kit in the movie.

“She really had a connection to everyone. It wasn’t just like, ‘Hey, you were great,’” Orfeh said. “She really took the time to give each of us Julia Roberts face time. We all died.”

As the wealthy and charming businessman Edward Lewis, Andy Karl said Roberts told him he had the hardest part in the show. 

“She knows my journey in the show is a tough one,” Karl said. “Apparently Richard Gere complained every day, just like, ‘I’m a walking suit.’”

Director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, whose many Broadway credits include “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” “Kinky Boots,” “Hairspray,” and “Catch Me If You Can,” said he knew audiences would have higher expectations for the musical version of “Pretty Woman,” given its nearly 30-year legacy.

One line he knew had to be in the show? When Vivian returns a store on Rodeo Drive with an arm full of shopping bags and tells the saleswomen who wouldn’t let her shop there the day before, “Big mistake. Big. Huge.“

“That whole idea of a girl being dissed and then being able to go back and conquer them,” Mitchell said. “What I looked for was the close-up afterwards. How do we turn that into a musical number? That’s really what made it special.”

Jerry Mitchell, Paula Wagner'Pretty Woman: The Musical' opening night, New York, USA - 16 Aug 2018

CREDIT: Andrew H Walker/Variety/REX/Shutterstock

The scene Orfeh fought to keep in the show was a little more colorful.

“I thought it was really important that Cinder-f—ing-ella was there and not watered down or deleted. There was a time that wasn’t going to be in the musical,” she revealed, referring to a scene where Vivian asks Kit when a rags-to-riches story actually works out.

Eventually, she got the creative team on board.

“You don’t want to curse, but I said, let me try it. And it worked,” Orfeh said. “They were like, ‘Alright fine, we’re putting it in.’”

There was at least one iconic moment that they intentionally chose to leave out. Though the stage adaptation is, of course, a musical, the creative team behind the show didn’t include Roy Orbison’s “Oh, Pretty Woman,” the track that the movie was named after.

“I wanted an original score. [The movie] score wasn’t written for anyone to sing,” Mitchell said. “It wasn’t written for a character to sing. It was a mood-setting song. Read the lyrics — you’re not really sure who would say that today, and especially to a woman, today.”