INTERVIEW: Eric Anderson adds some magic to ‘Pretty Woman: The Musical’
Photo: From left, Ellyn Marie Marsh, Eric Anderson, Orfeh and Renee Marino star in Pretty Woman: The Musical. Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy / Provided by Polk & Co. with permission.
Pretty Woman: The Musical has become the hit of the new Broadway season. The show tells the story of Vivian Ward (Samantha Barks) and Edward Lewis (Andy Karl), two people who come from vastly different economic worlds, and how they learn to love each other despite society telling them to stick within their social circles.
The musical, of course, is based off the famous Julia Roberts and Richard Gere film, written by J.F. Lawton and directed by the late Garry Marshall. The new show, which is currently playing the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway, features music and lyrics by rock star Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, and Jerry Mitchell directs and choreographs.
One of the interesting additions to the musical is the character of Mr. Thompson / Happy Man, played by Broadway veteran Eric Anderson. The role serves as a narrative emcee for the night, with Anderson shuffling through the story and popping up in a variety of places. He sings the opening number, “Welcome to Hollywood,” and is featured throughout the entire musical.
“I had worked with Jerry on Kinky Boots, and I had worked at Garry Marshall’s theater back in the day with a troupe,” Anderson said in a recent phone interview. “But Jerry actually called and asked me to come in and do the labs of it. I was in the later developmental labs and helped to develop it from there. It was cool. Jerry just called and asked me.”
It was special for Anderson to join the show because he had grown up loving the Adams songbook, and he now had a chance to sing original tunes by the singer-songwriter.
“I got a lot of Bryan Adams’ songs that play big parts in my life’s history,” he said. “It was a blast to be able to do new material by them. Bryan walks in the room, and he’s a bonafide rock star. To have that vibe and to have that energy working with us was a blast. It was a lot of fun.”
The actor appreciated the chance to board another ship helmed by Mitchell, who has been represented on Broadway numerous times. For Anderson, the director-choreographer has an energy that is unique and lovable.
“He sets the bar from the first rehearsal and makes it very clear that we all have a fun ride ahead of us,” he said. “He’s very family-oriented, so it’s been a really great process. And we have a really functional family that’s been developed because of his way and his vibe. It’s very welcome and lovely. He’s very collaborative. We had a lot of fun structuralizing exactly what my track in particular was going to be. He’s never been afraid to throw stuff at an actor and see how they’re able to help sculpt it. It’s a great experience.”
That “track” for Anderson is an unusual one. He slips in and out of scenes, literally popping up just about everywhere on the stage of the Nederlander. The actor called the role magical, a fairy godfather of sorts.
“I’m not playing different characters as much as I’m playing one character that’s kind of magical and can morph into different characters,” he said. “It’s fun. It’s a blast. It’s not often we get an opportunity to play multiple characters within one. … It was Jerry and Garry’s concept initially to have Happy Man and Mr. Thompson be the same character, and then as I became involved, Jerry would throw out, ‘What if we have you pop your head up as the conductor of the orchestra in the opera? Why don’t we have you be the piano player at the Voltaire?’ It became a bit of where else can we put this character. … I thought it was a pretty cool idea of his also to have one of the costume changes happen right on stage, so that the audience can kind of get in on the fact that this was a character that played different parts throughout the show.”
The show features a number of high-profile actors, many from previous Broadway shows. There’s Karl, who played to acclaim in Groundhog Day, and Barks, who played Éponine in the cinematic adaptation of Les Misérables. Orfeh was in Legally Blonde: The Musical, and Jason Danieley has appeared in The Visit and Next to Normal.
Anderson, of course, has appeared on his fair share of Broadway marquees, including Kinky Boots, The Last Ship, Waitress, Rocky and Soul Doctor.
“We don’t have a lot of young kids in the show,” he said. “Most people in our cast have done a few Broadway shows now. … We’re all functional and enjoy coming to work together, which is one of the biggest bonuses of this job, absolutely. We have a good time on stage. We mix it up a little bit. We keep it live and feed off each other’s vibes for the evening, you know.”
Appearing in Pretty Woman: The Musical is bittersweet for Anderson. He was a big fan and friend of Marshall, who died in 2016. The great director unfortunately didn’t have the chance to see Anderson in the role of Happy Man / Mr. Thompson, but the memories the actor has of Marshall are still impactful.
“I was a big fan of Garry Marshall,” Anderson said. “I think Garry has always just had a knack for doing really funny but heart-filled work. I mean, I grew up with Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy. It was really easy to fall into that world, and also I worked out in Burbank [California] before I moved to New York at his theater a bit. And we got to know each other. I worked with a troupe called The Troubadour Theater Company out there, and he really was a big supporter. When I moved to New York, he would come and see every Broadway show I did, and he and his wife, Barbara, were always considered family.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Pretty Woman: The Musical, featuring Eric Anderson, is now playing the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway. Click here for more information and tickets.
