As a die-hard fan of The Devil Wears Prada (2006) movie starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep, I couldn’t wait for the musical adaptation to come to London and saw its first iteration at Theatre Royal Plymouth in July 2024. It opened at the West End’s Dominion Theatre in November that year with a five-star review from Afridiziak (read here), quickly becoming an audience favourite, celebrating its first anniversary this week and the new cast who joined in October.
Leading Lady Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives), who plays the iconic role of Runway’s no-nonsense, sharp-tongued editor, Miranda Priestly, and Olivier Award winner Matt Henry, who plays the magazine’s astute creative fashion director, Nigel, have retained their roles. Stevie Doc joins them as Miranda’s assistant, Andy, Talia Halford, plays Emily, the first assistant, Keelan McAuley (Clueless) plays Andy’s boyfriend, Nate and James Darch, the journalist and temporary love interest, Christian.
Fans of the movie will be pleased to know that the musical adaptation with book by Kate Wetherhead doesn’t stray far from the original script as all of the familiar, iconic scenes are there alongside the scathing quips and witty one-liners, all delivered with perfection by Williams, Henry and Halford in response to Andy’s lack of fashion prowess. Miranda’s cerulean blue monologue remains unforgettable.
These famous scenes now have the bonus of catchy musical numbers with a mood-lifting score and songs by none other than Sir Elton John, expect to nod your head, tap your feet and even a bit of shoulder dancing with one of our favourite standout songs being Matt Henry’s Dress Your Way Up. The cast’s vocals are outstanding, flawless even and with the live band, the acoustics keep the show uplifting, fun and fast-moving.
Tim Hatley’s set design is spectacular, especially with backdrops from New York and Paris by day or night, focusing on their unmistakable skylines. The overall production design screams big budget – it’s simply stunning and leans heavily on the elaborate and glitz, which highlights the glamour of the high-end fashion industry, darling!
We loved Gregg Barnes’ costume design. We’re treated to super slick business attire office, and ultra sophisticated couture and evening wear – a spectacle of bold colours, sharp patterns, glitz and glamour depending on the scene or musical number. Barnes’ creativity shines through with every cast member dressed to impress from start to finish, leads to ensemble.
It has been announced that The Devil Wears Prada 2, complete with the original cast, is going to be released next year, so if you’re as excited as we are, then we highly recommend you watch the musical in the meantime.
Gird Your Lions, The Devil Wears Prada the Musical is a mighty fine and classy production – just be sure to dress accordingly when you do check it out. That’s all!
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