collider.com: After much anticipation, The Devil Wears Prada musical is finally ready to hit the London stage. The production, featuring Vanessa Williams as the formidable Miranda Priestly, opens on December 1 at the Dominion Theatre. In an exclusive interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub at TIFF for the upcoming documentary, Elton John: Never Too Late, David Furnish offered insights into the show’s development and why it’s set to be a must-see for fans of both the original film and the fashion world.
4 comments:
I had heard mumblings about a Devil Wears Prada Musical from my friends, but I couldn’t believe why someone might want to turn the movie into a musical. I hadn’t known that in 2022 they had tried to debut the musical in Chicago only to close it after not getting the desired positive reviews they were hoping for. I also find it really interesting that Elton John helped write the music for both of the productions, the one in Chicago and the one now in London that will premiere on December 1st. Whenever the theatre industry takes a book or a film and puts it on stage, it’s imperative that the storyline is the same as the fans are so invested in that story already, but also that the new songs support that storyline and make it a fun experience. I know that with a stellar cast like Vanessa Williams and with the direction by Jerry Mitchell, this new premiere will be able to spark the audience's love for film and theatre all in one.
I was so excited when this show was first announced prior to its 2022 run in Chicago and couldn’t wait to see it. It was probably one of my most anticipated shows of that season. Then when it opened to abysmal reviews, I was disappointed both in the fact that I would probably not get to see it and because one of my favorite movies had been turned into a musical that just simply was not good. To be honest, I never thought it would see the light of day again and it would just become one of those shows that didn’t work so I’m very glad to see that it’s been revised and is hitting the stages again. I’m very hopeful that this new, revamped production will live up to everything Miranda Priestly would expect it to be and that we’ll see it transferring to the Broadway stage very soon.
I am fascinated by the development of the show. This is not a show I would initially think would lend itself to being a musical. Everything and it is so serious and now that it's getting ready to head to the London stage, or get to see even more details about whether or not this musical version of the story works. Personally, I'm not super confident in it, since when it did premiere in Chicago, they didn't get great reviews, and talked about needing more time for refinement. But quite frankly, it's hard to refine some thing if it's not meant to be in that medium and honestly, I can't think of many moments that would warrant a song. Though perhaps I will be astounded and amazed, when I hear the soundtrack for the first time. It does have some great talent behind it, I will admit so I'd like to be pleasantly surprised.
I know little to nothing about The Devil Wears Prada besides the fact that it’s a really well-known, popular movie. The musical coming to London on December 1st was made for people who love the movie, but also love fashion, with Vanessa Williams stepping into the role of Miranda Priestly, and Elton John as the songwriter. I think it’s really interesting when Furnish talks about how often they tweak the set list. The musical premiered back in 2022 in Chicago, but was not ready to hit the mainstage. After working on it for two more years, it has found a home until August 21. To me, this article reminds me of all of the “backstage” work that’s put in before it’s put onto a stage. When you step away from the fact that we’re entering or have entered this industry, it’s easy to not think about the work when you view these pieces on a stage. However, now that I am learning about the work, I can only feel appreciated with all the time and effort spent for the purpose of telling a story.
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