Julia Roberts sees 'Pretty Woman: The Musical' on Broadway — 28 years after playing Vivian
Pretty Woman — and Garry Marshall — made Julia Roberts a star, and she’s never forgotten it.
On Thursday, there was a special tribute performance of Pretty Woman: The Musical in honor of the film’s late director, and Roberts — who played the original hooker with a heart of gold, Vivian — was front and center with his family for the festivities. The actress, 50, even wore a T-shirt featuring Laverne & Shirley, the beloved show helmed by Marshall, for the occasion, paired with leather pants. Honestly, a red opera gown — or those thigh-high boots with a barely there O-ring dress — would have been too much.
Roberts turned on that famous megawatt grin for the appearance. She posed for photos with Marshall’s widow, Barbara, and children — Scott, a filmmaker, and Kathleen, an actress. She then sat with the family to see the show, which officially opens on Aug. 16.
After the final curtain fell, Roberts and the Marshalls enjoyed photo ops with the entire cast.
She also posed with just Les Miserables actress Samantha Barks, who plays Vivian, and Andy Karl, a three-time Tony Award nominee who portrays Edward.
Barks took to social media to gush over meeting the original Viv, writing on Instagram, “What a beautiful woman inside and out! A night I will never forget!!” She also shared a photo of them embracing with Julia smiling as they hugged.
Roberts returned the compliment in her own Instagram post, writing, “Lovely to meet this talented woman.” We wish she gave her review of the show — perhaps an “It was so good, I almost peed my pants!” — but she left it at that.
Lovely to meet this talented woman. 💞💃🏼💞 #prettywomanthemusical #supercast
A post shared by Julia Roberts (@juliaroberts) on Aug 3, 2018 at 6:51am PDT
Before the show, Barbara Marshall told USA Today that Richard Gere couldn’t make on Thursday because he was in London, but he promised to see a future show, which features music from Bryan Adams.
Roberts was just 22 when Pretty Woman came out and catapulted her to superstardom. She later teamed up with Marshall and Gere again for 1999’s Runaway Bride. She also appeared in Marshall’s films Valentine’s Day (2010) and Mother’s Day (2016), the latter of which was released just months before he died at 81 due to complications of pneumonia after suffering a stroke.
Roberts has another familiar collaboration in the works. She’s reuniting with her My Best Friend’s Wedding co-star Dermot Mulroney — who also shared screen time with her in August: Osage County – in the upcoming Amazon Video thriller Homecoming.
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
‘I’m terribly sorry’: Seth Rogen apologizes for use of blackface on set of ‘Good Boys’
P!nk fires back at criticism over postponed concert: ‘I am doing the absolute best I can’
Jack Osbourne reportedly punches his soon-to-be ex-wife’s new male model boyfriend