š The Devil Wears Prada
š Dominion Theatre, 268-269 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 7AQ
š Wednesday 27th November 2024
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A SPECTACULAR MUSICAL IN THE WEST END? GROUNDBREAKING!
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is the brand-new musical which has strutted into the West End's Dominion Theatre having had it's out of town previews at Theatre Royal Plymouth in the summer.
The musical is based on the novel and film of the same name and the book by Kate Wetherhead really does justice to the story and manages to breath new life into it making it seem fresh and current. Combine the story with sensational music by Elton John and lyrics by Shaina Taub and Mark Sonnenblick and you know you're onto a winning formula.
It's hard to imagine better casting for the key roles in this production. Vanessa Williams is a force to be reckoned with as no-nonsense magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly. No stranger to playing this type of strong character Williams manages to bring everything we love to hate about Miranda to the forefront, whilst successfully distancing herself from both Meryl Streep's film portrayal and from previous characters she has played. There is a believability about her and the way Williams displays wonderful vulnerability behind the steely exterior is endearing.
Georgie Buckland is making her West End debut as Andy and is outstanding. She is on stage for the majority of the performance and is a pint-sized powerhouse as she delivers flawless vocals which wow the crowd. Her energy never falters and she has some very fast costume changes which are well executed. She delivers a great character arc with sublime brilliance and eagerly takes the audience along for the ride. You somehow instantly fall in love with her and are rooting for her throughout. I think her role in THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA marks the beginning of an upward journey and I have no doubt that very soon everyone in theatreland will know the name Georgie Buckland.
The uptight Emily is portrayed by Amy Di Bartolomeo who is an absolute tour de force. She has fantastic comedy timing whilst still remaining true to her character. Her insane vocals blow the roof off the building as her talent explodes across the auditorium. Fans of the movie version will know that there's quite a bit of time where the character doesn't appear - mainly because she's in a different country - but I love how she's given her own rom-com storyline which keeps her very much still part of the show.
And then there's Nigel portrayed with utter sass by Matt Henry. Nigel is another character who we learn more about than ever before and it's great that he becomes more human and rounded in this production. It's always a pleasure to hear Henry's smooth velvety tones and his performance of Seen brought me to tears. This song is sure to become an anthem as it marks a significant moment in the life of every queer kid, when they can finally be themselves. It's not just the lyrics but the heartfelt way in which they are delivered that makes this song a masterpiece.
James Darch as Christian is deliciously dislikable, while Rhys Whitfield as Nate in sincere and shows great emotion. Maddy Ambus as Chanteuse is soulful and sexy giving everything you could want and more with her performance, and the ensemble are absolute perfection.
The production values only lift the glorious performances even higher. The set design by Tim Hatley is simple and epic at the same time and marries sensationally with the lighting design by Bruno Poet. The costume design by Gregg Barnes is absolutely phenomenal. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA includes 4 catwalk runways and the fashion really takes over as the star of the show in these sequences.
The direction and choreography from Jerry Mitchell is spectacular. Standout moments for me personally came in the songs The Devil Wears Prada, Paris, City Of Dreams and Who's She? You can really feel Mitchell's passion for his work and the cast perform each piece with sheer precision. There are definitely more than a few 'wow' moments in this production.
This is a West End show how it should be. Great songs, high energy performances and epic dance sequences are combined with sensational fashion catwalks which take the breath away.
This show is a dazzling spectacle from start to finish and is not to be missed. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is currently booking at the Dominion Theatre until Saturday 18th October 2025. By all means move at a glacial pace, but it may mean you miss out on tickets and end up at some hideous skirt convention ... That's all!
Neill Kovacic-Clarke
All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.
My ticket for this performance of The Devil Wears Prada was gifted by Emma Holland PR who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.
FULL CAST LIST:
Vanessa Williams as Miranda Priestly;Georgie Buckland as Andy; Amy Di Bartolomeo as Emily; Matt Henry as Nigel; Rhys Whitfield as Nate; James Darch as Christian; Debbie Kurup as Standby Miranda; Maddy Ambus as Chanteuse & Ensemble; Liam Marcellino as Hot Nurse & Ensemble; Ethan Le Phong as James Holt & Ensemble; Kayleigh Thadani as Jaqueline Follet & Ensemble; Josh Damer-Jennings as Irv Ravitz & Ensemble; Selena Barron as Ensemble; Robertina Bonano as Ensemble; Lloyd Davies as Ensemble; Elishia Edwards as Ensemble; Akeem Ellis-Hyman as Ensemble; Natasha Heyward as Ensemble; Samuel How as Ensemble; Luke Jackson as Ensemble; Ciro Lourencio Meulens as Ensemble; Theo Papoui as Ensemble; Eleanor Peach as Ensemble; Harriet Samuel-Gray as Ensemble; Olivia Saunders as Ensemble; Ella Valentine as Ensemble; Tara Yasmin as Ensemble;Pamela Blair as Swing; Gabby Antrobus as Swing; Elizabeth Fullalove as Swing; Jinny Gould as Swing; Christopher Parkinson as Swing; Jon Reynolds as Swing; Joshua Steel as Swing
RUNNING TIME (approx):
2 hours 30 minutes, including interval
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