It centers on the relationship that develops between Vivian Ward, a free spirited Hollywood prostitute, and Edward Lewis, a wealthy businessman who hires her for a week to be his escort for several business and social functions.

The original production of Pretty Woman premiered at the Oriental Theatre, Chicago in March 2018, with direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell, and starring Samantha Barks and Steve Kazee, as Vivian and Edward.

[5] Written by J. F. Lawton, and directed by Garry Marshall, the musical centers around Vivian Ward, a free spirited Hollywood prostitute who lives with her sarcastic wisecracking Greek American best friend and roommate Kit De Luca.

[6] In March 2014, it was announced that a musical adaptation of the film was being developed for the stage, with original screenwriter Lawton and director Marshall attached to write the book.

[23] The musical broke the Nederlander Theatre box office record for an eight-performance week before its official opening August 16 with a gross of $1,142,989 (83.72% percent of its potential).

[39] Casting included Aimie Atkinson as Vivian Ward, Danny Mac as Edward Lewis, Rachael Wooding as Kit De Luca, Bob Harms as Happy Man/Mr Thompson, Neil McDermott as Philip Stuckey and Mark Holden as James Morse.

[43] A Polish-language production opened on February 14, 2021 at Teatr Variété in Cracow, directed by Wojciech Kościelniak, starring Adrianna Dorociak and Maria Tyszkiewicz as Vivian Ward and Rafał Drozd and Marek Nędza as Edward Lewis.

[45] A Spanish-language production officially opened on 27 September 2022 at the Teatre Apolo in Barcelona, starring Cristina Llorente as Vivian Ward and Roger Berruezo as Edward Lewis.

[46] A non-equity tour kicked off on 2 October 2023 at the Stanley Theatre in Utica, New York, starring Ellie Baker as Vivian Ward and Chase Wolfe as Edward Lewis.

[48] Cast included Amber Davies as Vivian, Oliver Savile as Edward, Ore Oduba as Happy Man / Mr Thompson and Natalie Paris as Kit De Luca.

[49] A dutch version of the musical premiered on 8 October 2023 at the Beatrix Theater in Utrecht, with Shanna Slaap as Vivian Ward and Jan Kooijman as Edward Lewis.

[62] In his review for The New York Times, Ben Brantley criticized the verbatim reuse of dialog from the movie, writing that the show's creators had "hewed suffocatingly close to the film’s story, gags and dialogue."

In a review for Vulture, Sara Holdren expressed sympathy for the show's performers, writing that they were "hooked up like defibrillators to a body that, no matter how much energy they pump into it, can’t be revived".