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Olivier award-winning Matt Henry to star as Nigel in The Devil Wears Prada

Matt Henry as Nigel - The Devil Wears Prada - Photo credit Matt Crockett (3)

Press Contact: Megan Stone

26 March 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

Matt Henry will bring the esteemed character of Nigel to the stage in The Devil Wears Prada, a new musical. Matt is best known for his Olivier award-winning performance playing Lola in Kinky Boots and for being a finalist on the second series of The Voice. Other critically acclaimed stage performances include starring in Saturday Night Fever, Avenue Q and most recently The Drifters Girls, which he also co-created alongside the original West End Cast Beverley Knight, Adam J Bernard, Tarinn Callender and Tosh Wanogho-Maud. In 2017 he was awarded an MBE for services to musical theatre.

He joins the previously announced, Vanessa Williams, best known for her celebrated roles in Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives and as a multi-award winning singer, as the irrepressible Miranda Priestly.

Matt Henry said, “Having been a huge fan of the film, a passion for fashion and the fact that the role of Nigel is iconic, what’s not to love about joining the cast of The Devil Wears Prada The Musical?!

Being able to draw inspiration and pay homage to the leading black men in the fashion industry, such as the amazing Edward Enninful and the late André Leon Talley is what truly excites me about taking on this incredible role.”

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.

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 (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.