Press Contact: Megan Stone
megan.stone@theatreroyal.com
19 February 2024
WITH MUSIC BY CELEBRATED EGOT WINNER ELTON JOHN,
LYRICS BY SHAINA TAUB,
AND BOOK BY KATE WETHERHEAD
DIRECTED & CHOREOGRAPHED BY
THE MULTI AWARD-WINNING JERRY MITCHELL
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY LAUREN WEISBERGER AND THE HIT TWENTIETH CENTURY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURE
Strutting into London Fashion Week, it has been revealed that Vanessa Williams, best known for her celebrated roles in Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives and as a multi-award winning singer, will play the iconic role of Miranda Priestly, the undisputed Queen of Fashion and Editor-in-Chief of Runway Magazine, in The Devil Wears Prada, which is opening at Theatre Royal Plymouth this summer.
Please click here for an announcement trailer of Vanessa Williams in The Devil Wears Prada.
Vanessa has said, “Bringing Miranda Priestly to life on the West End is an absolute dream come true. Gird your loins, folks.”
The Devil Wears Prada, a new musical, based on the blockbuster film and bestselling novel, will play an exclusive preview engagement in summer 2024 at Theatre Royal Plymouth, running from 06 July – 17 August, prior to opening in the West End in October. The show will feature an original score by music icon, and Olivier and Tony Award winner Elton John, lyrics by singer-songwriter Shaina Taub, book by Kate Wetherhead with direction & choreography by three-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell.
James Mackenzie-Blackman, Chief Executive and Executive Producer of TRP said: “We are thrilled to welcome Vanessa to Theatre Royal Plymouth, and our city, this summer. Miranda Priestly is such an iconic role and we can’t think of anyone more suited to bring this character to the stage. It’s a huge privilege to be co-producing this brand-new musical that will bring world class talent to the South West. I know that Plymouth audiences are going to adore Vanessa in this exceptional production.”
Following the preview run at TRP this summer, the production will then strut into London’s Dominion Theatre in October 2024.
Hilariously fun and fabulously stylish, The Devil Wears Prada tells an inspiring story about discovering what kind of person you truly want to be. Choose your outfit carefully and get ready for a new musical that’s hautter than hell!
Fresh out of college, aspiring journalist Andy scores a job at the prestigious Runway magazine working for fashion’s most powerful and terrifying icon — editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly. Sacrificing her personal life to meet Miranda’s impossible demands, Andy finds herself seduced by the glamorous world she once despised. How far will she go to succeed… and will it be worth selling her soul to get what she’s always wanted?
The Devil Wears Prada, features an all-star, award-winning creative team led by
Elton John (Tammy Faye, Billy Elliot: The Musical, The Lion King), new direction & choreography by Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde, Pretty Woman, Hairspray), lyrics by singer-songwriter Shaina Taub (Suffs), book by Kate Wetherhead (Ever After, Submissions Only), set design by Tim Hatley (Life of Pi, Back to the Future), costume design by Gregg Barnes (Some Like It Hot, Legally Blonde), lighting design by Bruno Poet (The Tina Turner Musical, Frankenstein), sound design by Gareth Owen (Come From Away, & Juliet) and casting by Jill Green CDG.
Further casting for the production will be announced in due course.
The musical is based on Lauren Weisberger‘s best-selling 2003 novel and the 2006 blockbuster film from Twentieth Century Studios which went on to gross $326 million worldwide and received two Academy Award nominations.
The Devil Wears Prada is produced by Tony Award winner Kevin McCollum/ Alchemation (In the Heights, Avenue Q, Rent, SIX and Mrs. Doubtfire), Rocket Entertainment/David Furnish (Tammy Faye, Billy Elliot: The Musical)
and Jamie Wilson (Mrs Doubtfire, Ain’t Too Proud, Sister Act The Musical) and presented by special arrangement with Buena Vista Theatrical.
Jerry Mitchell now steers this brand-new reimagined production of The Devil Wears Prada to new heights following a developmental run in Chicago in 2022.