Little Lark of London

“This is the House of Miranda”

As someone who had not seen the film before watching the musical, I went in curious about The Devil Wears Prada. With music by Elton John, the show is an adaptation of the 2006 movie that follows aspiring journalist Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway in the film) as she becomes the second assistant to the terrifying and powerful editor of Runway magazine, Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance). The musical, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, certainly has a lot to live up to, as it has been hyped up since it was first performed in the States in 2022 and its earlier run in Plymouth in 2023.

Vanessa Williams plays the iconic Miranda Priestly as cool as ice, rising up from underneath the stage, the perfect choice for someone being compared to the devil from the underworld. Williams gets some of the more iconic lines that many will know from the film, though they tend to fall flat, depending on the audience’s knowledge of the original in order to gain applause. Georgie Buckland takes on the role of Andy in an impressive West End debut, given many opportunities to show off her vocal range as she works to make the role her own. She is not given much to work with by book writer Kate Wetherhead but does the best she can and it certainly made me want to see more of her work on stage in the future.

The absolute highlight of the show for me is Amy Di Bartolomeo as Emily, Miranda’s first assistant who is desperate to join her boss on her trip to Paris. Di Bartolomeo is able to show off not only her incredible singing skills but also her comedic chops, starting from her preshow moment in which she tells the audience to put away their phones – but not before getting pictures of her with the show’s title sign! Her main number, “Bon Voyage,” is delightful and really allows us to see just how much Emily has fought for her place at Runway, only to lose it to a girl who isn’t even interested in fashion. 

One of the major aspects of the show that I was looking forward to was its costumes, designed by Gregg Barnes. In a show that’s based on the fashion world, I was expecting glamour and sophistication in the costumes of every cast member. While there are some moments of fashion, particularly during a gala hosted by Miranda, most of the costumes are disappointing, not really standing out and making Andy in her plainer clothes feel like an outcast. Even at the gala, Nigel is simply wearing an extravagant cape and plain black clothes, a costume that should have been much more elaborate, especially with a character who is able to give someone like Andy a complete makeover!

Unfortunately, most of Elton John’s music in The Devil Wears Prada is forgettable, unable to capture the magic that his hit singles have created over the years. One of the major problems is how most of the songs end up sounding the same, reminding the audience that. “Yes, Elton John did write the music for this!” The moments in the music that stand out are those that stray from the pop genre and return to the land of musical theatre, particularly those sung by Amy Di Bartolomeo’s Emily, especially “Bon Voyage” and its reprise. Another surprising highlight is sung by a lounge singer (Maddy Ambus) called “Your Twenties,” in which Andy and Christian (James Darch) decide to be a little reckless in Paris. 

As a fan of Shaina Taub’s work, particularly her musical adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays like Twelfth Night and As You Like It, I was disappointed in the lyrics of the songs from The Devil Wears Prada. The character of Andy is supposed to be a strong writer and I would have loved to see some of her wit shine through in the lyrics. Instead, we receive typical “I want” songs that struggle to allow the audience to connect with Andy, which makes it difficult to sympathise with her as she is harassed by her boss and coworkers. Most of the songs are reprises or are given a number at the end of their title – was the “How to Survive at Runway Reprise III” truly necessary? – and there could have been more songs that developed the backstories of the characters, like Nigel’s “Seen,” performed wonderfully by Matt Henry. 

Ultimately, The Devil Wears Prada has potential, but it, unfortunately, falls into the category of musical adaptations of films that fail to live up to the original, leaving one to ask the question – is this what we should be putting our energy into? 

The Devil Wears Prada runs from 24 October 2024 at the Dominion Theatre. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Photo Credit: Matt Crockett