‘I feel the love that audiences have for this story’

As Pretty Woman: The Musical heads to Dublin, John Byrne talks to its lead, former Love Island winner and now West End star Amber Davies.

Even during the daytime, the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre is a joy to behold. It stands out like a beacon of showbiz fun in an area more noted for tech bro neighbours such as Google and the high finance crowd just across the Liffey in the IFSC.

The sun is shining on two lads who are working on the front entrance, obviously with a tea-time deadline to meet. Me? I’m heading up to the theatre’s Terrace bar, where Amber Davies is holding court ahead of her arrival at the BGET to play Vivian Ward, Julia Roberts’ character, in the musical version of much-loved romantic comedy Pretty Woman.

The 2017 Love Island winner is these days one of the West End’s biggest stars. She also enjoyed a run on this year’s Dancing on Ice but – as she points out during our conversation – musical theatre is where her heart lies.

From the tiny Welsh town of Denbeigh, she’s chatty, fun and totally dedicated to her craft. Her previous roles include playing Lorraine Baines in Back to the Future: The Musical at the Adelphi Theatre, Judy in the original West End cast of 9 to 5 the Musical at the Savoy Theatre and on tour, and Campbell in Bring It On at London’s Southbank Centre.

This isn’t her first time playing Vivian Ward, as Amber was cast in the 2022 production. Seems like a good place to start . . .

John Byrne: Amber, what is it about Pretty Woman? You liked it so much you came back again! And you’re back in Dublin too.

Amber Davies: When we did 9 to 5 here, we actually closed the show – we finished the leg here at the Bord Gáis. So when I saw on our itinerary that Pretty Woman was coming back, it was just a no-brainer. Dublin is my favourite place.

This is the second tour I’ve been on and I find that the more north you go in Britain, the wilder they get. Dublin’s like that too. And for a show like Pretty Woman, you want audience participation. We feed off the energy that you give to us.

The more wilder it gets, the more I love it. Glasgow, Edinburgh, all a bit wild. The wilder the better.

Do you enjoy touring, or would you rather be on the West End and going home to your own bed every night?

I was a bit hmm-ing and aww-ing when I knew that it was a tour because I’ve done it before. I’ve done touring before but I was a lot younger and wilder. And I thought: Oh my gosh, can my liver do a year’s tour?

Actually, it’s been the polar opposite. I don’t drink much at all, I’m very much into my health, and I just think it’s lovely to travel and experience different theatres. And the sound a theatre makes. And the array of different audiences.

And we also try all these gorgeous local pubs, local coffee shops and cafes. Everything’s constantly changing and I enjoy that. When you do a year contract, it keeps the show really fresh. I feel that every day in every venue, it feels like a brand-new show.

It’s actually really lovely and I feel that if a tour was to ever come up again, I’d jump at it.

What do you think is the special appeal of Pretty Woman? Is it that mix of Hollywood and Broadway?

I feel that Pretty Woman is a huge franchise in itself. It’s such a famous movie. The whole world fell in love with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in that film.

And then we bring Bryan Adams in, who is a legend in himself. He wrote our music. We have this rock/pop feel to the show and what we do is we like to bring people in and come see that Pretty Woman world for two-and-a-half hours.

Forget about your job, forget about your children, forget about the tasks that you’ve got to do. Come and have a personal experience of a film you love and adore.

And we know we get all the iconic moments in . . . I think it’s really nostalgic for people. I see it. I feel it. And a lot of energy. I feel the love that audiences have for this story. It’s a beautiful story. It’s just a gorgeous love story.

And what about playing the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre? It must be one of the most impressive venues on a tour . . .

I feel like it’s one of the biggest venues we’ve got on the tour. I know Edinburgh was huge, Bord Gáis is huge, and the Wales Millenium Centre – they’re the three big ones. They’ve all got a golden star next to their names.

Do you notice things like that when you’re on stage?

Oh my gosh, yeah! You feel it. We do either one week in a venue or two weeks in a venue. You move so quickly from one to the next. God, you do feel a dramatic difference.

We went from Edinburgh, which was a 3,000-seater, to I think it was an 800-seater in Plymouth. It’s beautiful, and it was also sunny in Plymouth.

But that’s what I mean by the difference of scale. We get to experience so much in this show. And that’s why the show always feels brand new.

And what about yourself and musical theatre? Is this where you were always going to be?

Yes. Musical theatre is all I’ve ever know, really. There was no other option for me. When I moved to London when I was 16 – I didn’t do any A levels – I said to my mum, I want to go to drama school. This is what I want to do.

So I moved to London at 16 and did my three-year diploma course in musical theatre. And then I went on telly, did Love Island. And although – my gosh – my life changed, it gave me a huge profile. You can’t buy it now.

And although I was on the front of magazines, and I was going to events I never thought I’d go to in my life, like The Pride of Britain, I had a hole in my life. I was happy, but I wasn’t fulfilled.

So when 9 to 5 came up, and the opportunity to make my debut, I took it. I ran with it, and it snowballed. I haven’t had one day off since!

It’s always where I was meant to be and the musical theatre industry is tiny. Talent can only get you so far and – to be honest – a profile can only get you so far. You need to be a kind, hard-working person. And trustworthy.

If you’re going to lead a show, you have to be trustworthy. Anyone who’s trained in musical theatre, done their three-year diploma, knows that it’s like training for the bloody army. The discipline is huge.

You turn up on time. You do what you say you’re going to do. And you look good while you do it.

That’s the thing. From the outside, showbiz looks like it’s all glamour.

It’s not glamorous! Well. Sometimes it is. But it’s hard. Eight shows a week. We do eight shows in six days. We have one day off a week, and when you’re on tour, that one day you have off is usually a travel day.

So really, these year-long contracts you sign, it’s a year you’ve signed your life away. Forget your social life, forget family, forget weddings. You’re signing your life away.

What about your dog? Have you still got your dog?

I have! My dog Oreo. Do you know what? My heart aches a little bit. I miss him so much. My boyfriend, I don’t really care. No, I do. [Laughs] I can talk to my boyfriend over the phone, but I can’t communicate with my dog when I’m gone.

He does know my voice on Facetime now, which is an achievement – but I miss the dog a lot. But he and [boyfriend] Ben live happily in the house. I’m just a third wheel when I turn up. Those two are the true love story. And I’m just a spare part now. [Laughs]

Pretty Woman: The Musical runs at Bord Gáis Energy Theatre from Tuesday July 2 to Saturday July 13. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.