'Rent' alum Adam Pascal is well-suited for 'Pretty Woman' role

Before beginning his latest stage role, Adam Pascal had to get comfortable not only with his character but also with his costumes.

For Pascal, playing high-octane businessman Edward Lewis in the U.S. national tour of “Pretty Woman: The Musical” – at Boston’s Citizens Bank Opera House from Jan. 18-30 – that meant bespoke suits and other high-end menswear by costume designer Gregg Barnes.

"I haven’t worn very many suits in my life,” said Pascal, an actor, singer and musician from Philadelphia during a telephone interview.

“So when I stepped into the Broadway production briefly in 2019, the suits and my other costumes were the bane of my existence,” Pascal explains with a laugh. “Once I realized how well-designed they were, though, I settled into them.”

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Audiences were first introduced to the sartorial splendor of Edward Lewis when Richard Gere played the role, opposite Julia Roberts as the free-spirited prostitute he hires to be his companion, in the 1990 feature film “Pretty Woman,” directed by Garry Marshall from a screenplay by J.F. Martin.

Marshall and Martin had completed work on the book for the musical before Marshall died in July 2016. Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, the show had its world premiere at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre on March 13, 2018, before transferring to Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre, where it officially opened on Aug. 16 of that year.

The show’s score is by Grammy Award-winning Canadian rocker Bryan Adams and his songwriting partner Jim Vallance, and also features the Roy Orbison classic “Oh, Pretty Woman.”

“Bryan Adams sent me a lovely message when I was cast to lead the tour,” says Pascal. “And I’ve met Jim Vallance a couple of times, which has helped me connect with the songs.”

Pascal got his own start as a musician with various rock bands. Fame came in 1996 when he was Tony-nominated for his Broadway debut playing HIV-positive songwriter and musician Roger Davis in the original Broadway production of “Rent,” Jonathan Larson’s Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical.

He reprised his role as Roger in “Rent” in London’s West End in 1998, in the musical’s 2005 feature film adaptation, and on a 2009 national tour, and says he long ago came to appreciate the show’s singular place in his career and life.

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“In the beginning and for many years, ‘Rent’ colored everything. I’m not a trained actor, so I wasn’t prepared for navigating my career. I thought ‘Rent’ would be kind of a one-time thing and I held on to my plan of becoming a rock star,” says Pascal, a Bronx, New York, native.

In 2000, the performer originated the role of Radames in Elton John and Tim Rice’s “Aida” on Broadway. He’s also played the Emcee in the 1998 revival of “Cabaret,” Billy Flynn in the 1996 revival of “Chicago,” Huey Calhoun in “Memphis,” Chad in “Disaster!” and William Shakespeare in “Something Rotten!,” which he brought to Boston on tour in 2017.

“When I was in ‘Aida,’ I was still making music and doing my own thing,” recalls Pascal. “I’m so much happier with the career I have now, though, than I would have been had I become a successful musician. If that had happened back then, I probably wouldn’t be working as much as I am now in musical theater.”

And probably not enjoying himself as much either.

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“On the road, I’ve been able to fully find my character because of what Olivia Valli is doing with the role of Vivian Ward, the female lead,” points out Pascal. Valli is the granddaughter of singer Frankie Valli.

“To really work, this piece needs the right chemistry between the leads and the electricity and spark are definitely there between Olivia and me. She’s made it possible for me to find my character and make him more relatable and likable.”

Surrounding the unconventional couple on their adventures from Hollywood Boulevard to the Hollywood Hills and beyond are a host of characters, from a hard-bitten streetwalker to a soft-hearted hotel manager.

“All of us in the cast are having a blast doing this show, much of which has to do with Olivia. She is generous, gregarious and loving with everyone.

“And she is so great as Vivian that she makes it easy for all of us to find the humor in the material,” says Pascal. “It’s a lot of fun working with Olivia and the entire company.”

Shows on tap: Broadway hits 'Hadestown,' 'Pretty Woman' coming to Boston this fall

'Pretty Woman: The Musical'

When: Jan. 18-30

Where: Citizens Bank Opera House, 539 Washington St., Boston

Tickets: Starting at $39.50

Info: BroadwayInBoston.com

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Broadway's Pretty Woman musical dances into Boston for Opera House run