Profile for MrsSallyAdams

I was disappointed. Audra’s trying new things but the production she’s in is sloppy and traditional. None of the supporting cast is strong enough to stand up to her. So she has nothing to fight against. It can leave her feeling adrift.

Saw this with Jordan and Noblezada. Not as shallow as reviews led me to believe. Though there are two moments in the second act the ring false.

A pointless tap number that screams “we’re a musical comedy! 
 

And a duet for Nick and Jordan.

I’m still trying to make sense of the staging of the title song. 
 

I can't speak to the performances or staging. But to be fair to the concept, Harvey Fierstein wrote in his 2022 memoir that he always wanted La Cage Aux Folles to resemble the run down drag clubs he used to frequent. He found the Arthur Laurents and Jerry Zaks production designs overblown. He felt the Terry Johnson production was closer to his original vision.

I know of Snow White films with Evil Queens played by Diana Rigg, Miranda Richardson, Charlize Theron and Julia Roberts.

The Guardian - 2/5 stars

To give the show its due, the production values are high, Shaina Taub and Mark Sonnenblick’s lyrics are serviceable and John’s music exuberant...

But as it trots from one iconic scene to another, Kate Wetherhead’s book summarising the screenplay almost line by line, it resembles an android-like simulacrum. You find yourself asking: “Why?”...

The achievement of the film was partly in how it managed to make even its unlikable characters endearing, Miranda notwithstanding. But none of the characters on stage feel real or alive.

The Devil Wears Prada review – prosecco o’clock musical is old hat | Theatre | The Guardian

inews - 3 stars
If only [Vanessa Williams's] fabulousness could extend to director Jerry Mitchell’s choreography, which is bewilderingly and irredeemably naff, like a local Zumba class attempting a line dance. The cavernous Dominion stage is crying out for some top-level hoofing and the talented ensemble of frustrated fashionistas appear to be bursting to let rip. Come for the frocks and the folks, rather than the music and moves. The Devil Wears Prada musical is about as groundbreaking as florals for spring

Time Out - Negative
[A] decent comedy but a lousy musical... The Devil Wears Prada would have hit the spot as a slick stage play. But the people require songs, and songs have been provided, and basically we’re left with a deft comedy that breaks off to step on a rake every five minutes. The Devil Wears Prada, Dominion Theatre review: Elton John adapts the classic comedy into a so-so musical

Yahoo News UK
(This article claims the stage show redeems Andy's long-hated boyfriend.)
Honestly, a lot of this change is carried by the charm of Whitfield and his chemistry with his co-star Buckland. Their playful and frankly quite sexy duet I Only Want You For Your Body is a highlight of the first act – and perhaps one of the show’s only true earworms. James Darch’s Christian can’t really compete in terms of charisma, so the audience is always rooting for Andy to return to her loveable boyfriend and ugly jumpers. The Devil Wears Prada musical redeems its original villain of toxic masculinity – and I'm not mad about it

The Standard - 5/5 stars
Elton John’s irresistible songs are the highlight of this big, bold, metaphorically shoulder-padded musical... Absolutely fabulous. The Devil Wears Prada at Dominion Theatre review: absolutely fabulous | The Standard

London Theatre - 3/5 stars
The costumes are disappointing. They’re too garish and, in some cases, shapeless — and certainly don’t scream haute couture... As for where the show sometimes loses its way, the devil’s in the detail. But fans of the iconic film looking for a high-energy night at the theatre, with an injection of Noughties nostalgia, will find plenty to enjoy. 'The Devil Wears Prada' review — Vanessa Williams struts into the West End | London Theatre

The Telegraph - 2/5 stars
You sit through song after song, waiting for your heart to beat faster, but little lands or lifts besides a soulful number by a once-closeted gay art director (Matt Henry’s Nigel) about finally being “Seen”. The Devil Wears Prada, Dominion Theatre, review: Elton John’s so-so musical is no match for Meryl Streep

Digital Spy - 3/5 stars
The first act is overstuffed with the majority of the movie's plot, while the second act stretches out the Paris-set final act... It's the strong cast and the fashionable spectacle that sees The Devil Wears Prada musical through its flaws. The Devil Wears Prada musical is fashionable, but not flawless

Financial Times - 2/5 stars.
It is possible to turn a film into something fresh and perceptive onstage.. But this show attempts nothing so daring. Sparkly as it is, I fear Miranda would hang it back on the rail. The Devil Wears Prada review — a slim, superficial musical

Broadway World - 2/5 stars.
The publicity tells us to "gird our loins.", but after seeing this thin and rather flat show, the question is: for what? Review: THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, Dominion Theatre

 

Mickey Jo found it entertaining but adds he'd like to "feel more."

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA musical is not groundbreaking | ★★★ review of the West End show - YouTube

Just watched a second time. Add me to the list of folks who hates how they broke up Defying Gravity. The stares into the middle distance. The communion with her younger self. All beyond indulgent. The only emotion it stirred was annoyance.

 

But then I’d have cut half the songs and released it as one film so I’m not the target audience. I think the stage show needed pruning. Not expanding. 

So much for my ticket. Lestat outran this at 39 performances.

Lestat – Broadway Musical – Original | IBDB

The tonal issues are reminding me of Queen of Versailles. At least that one revealed Siegel as pathetic at the end after trying to paint herself as a plucky heroine. I think a NY audience would rather see Faye skewered than praised. I've got a ticket for my January trip. It sounds like I should come up with a backup show for that slot.

They've got some leeway with Arthur Less's looks. His backstory is that he was a kept pretty boy of a wealthy man. He didn't have to learn survival skills when he was being taken care of. That's partly why he's stuck in arrested development at age 49.

Neil Patrick Harris is the age and look of Arthur Less. But he's a bit too savvy and sharp for such a meek, oblivious character. The role is more of a David Hyde Pierce type, from his Curtains era. 

 

EDIT: Jonathan Groff could play it in about 10 years.

It's a lovely novel that may prove challenging to adapt. A middle-aged author is invited to his ex-boyfriend's wedding. In a mix of grief and panic he cobbles together a book tour as an excuse to avoid the event. He meets quirky characters and has some episodic adventures. But the heart of the book is a look at the challenges gay men face when they age alone. Jason Robert Brown seems an odd choice for this.