Pretty Woman to strut West End

IT is almost three decades since Julia Roberts made her name walking the streets of LA in knee-high boots.

Now Pretty Woman is back – but this time she’s strutting on to a West End stage.

Rocker Bryan Adams has announced the musical adaptation of the hit 1990 romantic comedy, starring Roberts and Richard Gere, is set to open in London next year.

The Canadian singer co-wrote the music for the show, which hit New York’s Broadway last year and stars British actress Samantha Barks. Adams said he is ‘excited’ about the London run, but revealed he had refused to watch the film – which tells the tale of a hapless escort who wins the heart of a wealthy businessman – during the writing process.

‘It’s all set in motion,’ he said of the musical, adding: ‘I really have got to be honest, I didn’t watch the movie once the whole time we were working on it. I didn’t want to be influenced by the film, I just wanted to be influenced by the story.’