Love Island Winner Amber Davies Chats Bringing Pretty Woman To The Stage

Amber Davies made a name for herself as a Love Island winner all the way back in 2017.

But since then she has become a star of the stage performing in 9 to 5: The Musical, Back to the Future: The Musical and Bring it On. Now she will don the iconic cut-out dress to play Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman.

She’s living the dream when she jets into Ireland to chat about the big musical, big, huge!

Hey Amber! Welcome to Ireland…or should we say back to Ireland. This really isn’t your first time!

It’s not. I’m basically a local by now. I love it here. I’ve performed here – I’ve done the musical, 9 to 5 over here. I absolutely love it. I’m no stranger to Templebar!

We loved 9 to 5 – you’re clearly a fan of movie musicals!

I know, honestly, if you look at the roles I’ve played they are all movie musicals. I only figured this out the other day. I now know where my career is headed.

Is that a choice or is it the universe?

It’s the universe! It’s just crazy. Every show I’ve done, I’ve been a huge fan of the film. And me as a person, I’m a huge movie girl. I always have been and my family always has been.

Okay, let’s talk Pretty Woman. You play Vivian, tell us about getting the role.

I mean, when I was going in for it I thought, “Oh God, this is a lot of pressure.” I’m following Amy Atkins in the West End and Samantha Barks on Broadway. That is the calibre of performer and I thought, “Am I there? Am I ready to take this on?” But then I started doing my research, I probably watched the film like 20 times. You know Julia Roberts made it so easy for me to fall in love and connect with the role of Vivian. So when I started going in for the auditions I felt really comfortable and I had an amazing relationship with the creative team. We got on like a house on fire. When the offer came through I was in disbelief. I just thought I was in the right place, at the right time. It is a big, big role and it’s challenging, but this is where I’m supposed to be!

Is there a lot of pressure when it comes to bringing an iconic film onto the stage?

I think what we did the most, when we were doing our research and in rehearsals, we thought, if people are coming to watch this musical they are obviously a massive fan of the film. So we want to bring them into the world of Pretty Woman. We work tirelessly. To be honest, it is a carbon copy of the film. We have the same script, the only added dazzle is that Bryan Adams wrote our music! That just ties everything together and gives it that amplified feel.

This is the first time it’s coming to Ireland, so what can audiences expect?

I think if you’re a fan of the film then this is definitely not one to miss. You really feel like you’re getting a personal experience. And you are part of our world for two and a half hours. We always have everyone on their feet at the end. There is a bit of audience participation that we like.

You’ve been playing the role for a while, so what are the audience like?

I think the more North we go, the wilder the audiences get. And I love it. Don’t get me wrong, I love performing in London but they’re quite polite. They do say you can’t hear a smile! So the Northern audience, for me, win every time. I’ve performed here in Ireland as well. When we were doing 9 to 5, we finished up the tour here in Dublin. And it was the wildest, most electric feeling. And for us on stage, we feed off that energy. We can’t wait to come.

Obviously the character of Vivian is very sexy, for multiple reasons, do you ever feel awkward or shy playing that type of role?

It’s never awkward. I never step on stage as Amber, I’m always the role. We have an amazing story to tell. It’s a unique love story. It highlights that Vivian is a very, very strong woman. She did everything that she could to make end’s meet. But unfortunately, that left her in vulnerable situations. But deep down she’s her own hero, she doesn’t need anyone else. So I think that’s why it’s such a magnificent ending to this story because love and authenticity win. It’s never embarrassing, it’s always a joy!

How do you get into this role?

When I get that blonde wig on and the iconic opening outfit, the thigh-high boots and the cut-out dress. You can’t help but fall into the role of Vivian Ward. Myself and Ollie Saville, who plays Edward Lewis, we always gather at the five, check in with each other and get ready to tell the story to another fabulous audience.

Oh the costumes!

I have the best wardrobe in the industry in this show. I have the iconic cut-out dress, I have the iconic red dress, I have the white power suit. One of my favourite things about this role is my costume and my wigs! My wigs are absolutely fabulous!

There are plenty of iconic moments in the film…do they make it onto the stage?

Every iconic moment we try to carbon copy it. So we have the iconic, “Big mistake. Big! Huge!” We have the necklace moment, which was a candid moment when they filmed it. It wasn’t meant to actually make the cut of the film. Richard Gere was just messing around off cuff. Luckily the cameras were rolling. So that’s a big one that we try to recreate authentically every night. For me, one of the highlights of the show is that we recreate the opera moment. And that for me is a breathtaking moment.

This is obviously a dream role for you. But what other roles would you love to play?

That’s a hard one. But it’s ironic because the one I fancy is a movie musical. Shock! It’s The Notebook! I flew over to New York on my holidays and saw The Notebook on Broadway. Honestly, I fell in love with it. If the opportunity ever came up or it came over to London I would jump at the chance.

Pretty Woman runs in the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre 2nd-13th July

• Amber Davies