After years of planning and a U.K tour, the musical version of The Devil Wears Prada is taking to London’s West End.
The plot centres on Andy Sachs, an aspiring journalist who accepts a job as an assistant to one of the most prominent women in fashion – Miranda Priestly.
Vanessa Williams is stepping into the role of Miranda, who was played by Meryll Streep in the hit 2006 movie.
“I think musically, it works perfectly because there is, like, a whole crescendo and an ascension of chords, and you know that something’s coming. And I’m literally wearing the sunglasses that people expect. I’ve got the Runway magazine, which people expect. I’ve got the, my bag, and we’ve tried to mimic all the bag and the coat and starting the world,” says Williams.
As well as the music and dancing, the actors say that comedy is central to the play, just as it was in the film.
“I had a really funny one at the end. I say that thing where I, you know, I write this piece on the janitors’ union. This whole thing and at the end of the show Luke, who plays the interviewer, goes, ‘What a great piece on the janitors’ union.’ And this woman in the audience is like ‘ha!.’,” says Georgie Buckland, who plays Andy in the musical.
For Matt Henry, who plays Nigel, being in the performance provided him the opportunity to pay hommage to some of his inspirations.
“I had to kind of go back to reality of who are the creative directors of this time? Who are those Black men who made the way, who came forth and who are now, you know, global names, like Edward Enninful from British Vogue and André Leon Talley, which we pay homage to in the big cape that I wear towards the end. And in, you know, ‘Devil Wears Prada’ (song) which is at the Met Gala. And so it was these men that I drew inspiration from,” Henry says.
The musical is now on at London’s Dominion Theatre, and is booking to October next year.
Source: Africanews
