PrettyWOMAN Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade
The cast of Pretty Woman: The Musical
Want the fairytale? It’s coming to Tulsa! Decades after its release, “Pretty Woman” is still seen as one of the greatest love stories of all time. Now, Green Country audiences can see it in a completely new way when the musical version graces the Chapman stage. One cast member, Michael Dalke, gets to help bring the show to his home state. Raised in Norman, Dalke attended Oklahoma City University for musical theatre, but the pull of the stage couldn’t wait for graduation and Dalke rushed to New York City to begin his career. After years of working in both NYC and Los Angeles, he’s returning to Oklahoma to help bring “Pretty Woman” to life. Incredibly, though Dalke has been working in the industry for many years, this is his first national tour. At 12
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the age of 38, he is living his dreams to the fullest. He points out: “There’s a song in the musical called ‘Never Give Up On a Dream,’ and as cheesy as that might sound, I really, truly believe it. I’ve tried to do so many other things, ... I tried other creative outlets, but I just could not let go. I closed my eyes to picture what it was I was put on this earth to do, and it was being on stage.” What better way to watch a story about capturing dreams than to watch a man live his own dreams? And this show is chock-full of the magic of the original movie, plus a healthy dose of ‘90s nostalgia. The songs were written by “I Do It for You” and “Summer of ‘69” crooner Byran Adams. “There is such a love for that movie,” Dalke says. He loves hearing about how it was so-and-so’s mom’s favorite movie from excited audience
members who come to say hello after the show. He adds: “People are ready to just laugh and have fun and fall in love with the characters as they fall in love. It’s just a lot of fun.” Dalke was a huge fan of the movie before taking on the role and has spent many an hour watching it with his best friend. Whether a decadeslong fan of the original or thinking of experiencing this story for the first time, this is not a show to be missed. Not being there would be a big mistake. Big! Huge!
Pretty Woman Presented by Celebrity Attractions August 23–25 at 7:30 p.m. August 26 at 8 p.m. August 27 at 2 and 8 p.m. August 28 at 1 and 6:30 p.m. CHAPMAN MUSIC HALL
