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Friday, September 09, 2022
Elton John Says ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ Musical “Not Ready”
Deadline: “Devil Wears Prada was in preview in Chicago, and it’s not ready,” John said in an interview with BBC Radio2’s Zoe Ball, who asked if the show was coming to London. “It’ll be ready in about another year. We can’t get our theater anyways.”
5 comments:
Brynn Sklar
said...
Last semester I remember writing a comment for newsquiz about The Devil Wears Prada. That article was about the film’s wardrobe budget and how expensive it was in total. Since then I had heard small talk about the making of a musical version and to be honest I really dislike the trend right now of turning existing movies, books, television shows, albums, etc into plays on Broadway. That being said I am in no way surprised that this show is already predicted to flop if it moves out of the chicago stage. The comments about the production being flashy rather than having true storytelling is exactly why I hate these adaptations. “[Is this] an inquiry into toxic workplace culture or an excuse to put an Eiffel Tower (technically, two Eiffel Towers) onstage?” is a quote from Elton John himself and perfectly encapsulates my thoughts… I could not have said it better myself.
Movies turned musicals are always a hot topic of debate from greats like Legally Blonde and The Lion King to not so greats like Shrek (although even all of those takes are very debatable). When The Devil Wears Prada was first announced, I remember there being a lot of debate about whether or not it would be good, whether or not it would be true to the movie, and whether or not it was needed at all. Personally, I was very excited for it. Unfortunately, this article is just another in a very long list saying that The Devil Wears Prada is an unfashionable failure and from all the bootlegged clips I've seen, I think they're right. Now that even Elton John, the creator is saying that it just isn't ready, this musical is all but doomed. Of course anything could happen and they could turn it around (I certainly hope they do) but as it looks now, I think we can all agree it should have stayed as a movie.
I am curious what Elton John thinks the show can accomplish in a year to be “ready.” Normally, you describe something as not ready when it just needs more time doing what its already doing. Whether it’s a cake that needs more time baking in the oven or an actor that needs more time memorizing lines. Based on the reviews like those from the New York Times and those I have heard from friends who have gotten the opportunity to see the show, the show is not going to get better over time if all they do is wait. The show is not just not ready, it’s also not right. It requires active effort on the part of the creative team to fix it and figure out what story they want to tell. This is the issue with turning creative movies that were doing something interesting at the time into musicals. You have to have a good reason to choose this time and this artform for your storytelling other than just a cash grab or an audience won’t respond.
Ahh, another movie-turned-musical. “The Devil Wears Prada” really is one of my favorite comfort movies, but I don’t have much interest in seeing it onstage. It feels a lot like (and even kind of sounds like) “Pretty Woman: the musical” which also left me a little disappointed with the story, characters, and music. It seems like the main issue this production is having is simply: what story are trying to tell? “The Devil Wears Prada” may seem simple, but there actually is room for interpretation about what you should take from the film. Stay true to yourself? Go for your dreams? The primary debate I’ve heard is whether or not the boyfriend, Nate, is a good partner to Andy or not. He criticizes her career and all that, but he’s also consistently there for her. Anyway, it doesn’t seem like the romance will be the crux of the musical anyway.
I was so excited when I heard that this production was happening. I was hoping that it would be a hit and go to further places because, well, I love The Devil Wears Prada. I am sad to hear that they feel it isn’t ready to move forward anytime soon. I wish there was some more details on things that they, or Elton, feel need to change on the production. I also wonder what he means by saying that they need the “proper theatre.” I wonder what theatre it is that they are waiting to open up for this production. I just hope that it actually does make a reappearance in about a year so that I can see it for myself. I also hope that he is referring to a theatre in New York and not the West End, then my chances of being able to see it will be greater.
5 comments:
Last semester I remember writing a comment for newsquiz about The Devil Wears Prada. That article was about the film’s wardrobe budget and how expensive it was in total. Since then I had heard small talk about the making of a musical version and to be honest I really dislike the trend right now of turning existing movies, books, television shows, albums, etc into plays on Broadway. That being said I am in no way surprised that this show is already predicted to flop if it moves out of the chicago stage. The comments about the production being flashy rather than having true storytelling is exactly why I hate these adaptations. “[Is this] an inquiry into toxic workplace culture or an excuse to put an Eiffel Tower (technically, two Eiffel Towers) onstage?” is a quote from Elton John himself and perfectly encapsulates my thoughts… I could not have said it better myself.
Movies turned musicals are always a hot topic of debate from greats like Legally Blonde and The Lion King to not so greats like Shrek (although even all of those takes are very debatable). When The Devil Wears Prada was first announced, I remember there being a lot of debate about whether or not it would be good, whether or not it would be true to the movie, and whether or not it was needed at all. Personally, I was very excited for it. Unfortunately, this article is just another in a very long list saying that The Devil Wears Prada is an unfashionable failure and from all the bootlegged clips I've seen, I think they're right. Now that even Elton John, the creator is saying that it just isn't ready, this musical is all but doomed. Of course anything could happen and they could turn it around (I certainly hope they do) but as it looks now, I think we can all agree it should have stayed as a movie.
I am curious what Elton John thinks the show can accomplish in a year to be “ready.” Normally, you describe something as not ready when it just needs more time doing what its already doing. Whether it’s a cake that needs more time baking in the oven or an actor that needs more time memorizing lines. Based on the reviews like those from the New York Times and those I have heard from friends who have gotten the opportunity to see the show, the show is not going to get better over time if all they do is wait. The show is not just not ready, it’s also not right. It requires active effort on the part of the creative team to fix it and figure out what story they want to tell. This is the issue with turning creative movies that were doing something interesting at the time into musicals. You have to have a good reason to choose this time and this artform for your storytelling other than just a cash grab or an audience won’t respond.
Ahh, another movie-turned-musical. “The Devil Wears Prada” really is one of my favorite comfort movies, but I don’t have much interest in seeing it onstage. It feels a lot like (and even kind of sounds like) “Pretty Woman: the musical” which also left me a little disappointed with the story, characters, and music. It seems like the main issue this production is having is simply: what story are trying to tell? “The Devil Wears Prada” may seem simple, but there actually is room for interpretation about what you should take from the film. Stay true to yourself? Go for your dreams? The primary debate I’ve heard is whether or not the boyfriend, Nate, is a good partner to Andy or not. He criticizes her career and all that, but he’s also consistently there for her. Anyway, it doesn’t seem like the romance will be the crux of the musical anyway.
I was so excited when I heard that this production was happening. I was hoping that it would be a hit and go to further places because, well, I love The Devil Wears Prada. I am sad to hear that they feel it isn’t ready to move forward anytime soon. I wish there was some more details on things that they, or Elton, feel need to change on the production. I also wonder what he means by saying that they need the “proper theatre.” I wonder what theatre it is that they are waiting to open up for this production. I just hope that it actually does make a reappearance in about a year so that I can see it for myself. I also hope that he is referring to a theatre in New York and not the West End, then my chances of being able to see it will be greater.
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