THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA Musical - News & Discussion Thread- Page 23

[Voter]

Posted: 1/28/23 at 7:54pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "NEVERLAND was Harvey Weinstein operating by the rules of Hollywood; that was a costly move and I don't know if it ever really paid off.

At the end of the day, PRADA does not need to be brilliant. It just needs to be coherent and entertaining, with a couple of good songs to advertise and an energetic cast. At this point McCollum would probably be thrilled if it was of MEAN GIRLS quality.

My assumption with PRADA is Elton = unfireable. So, the goal probably needs to be fixing the book (probably with a new bookwriter) and getting Elton to churn out a few better songs.But then there's the direction & physical production, which was bad by all accounts. Anna Shapiro leaving completely means you either have to start again from scratch, or hire someone with the understanding that they're working within the very specific confines of what's already been created, and you can't make many wholistic changes.Modify the set & costumes but keep like 65% of each.

Depending on who is being let go and replaced, there will be inevitable optics issues, causing a Twitter mob and some bad-will. The choreographer is a trans women; the director is a woman; the design team is mostly women; the lyricist & bookwriter are women."

Shapiro was the absolute wrong pick to direct this. Wasn't surprised to hear when Jerry Mitchell stepped in to give it new eyes in Chicago.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/28/23 at 8:34pm

Voter said: "Shapiro was the absolute wrong pick to direct this. Wasn't surprised to hear when Jerry Mitchell stepped in to give it new eyes in Chicago."

She was an unequivocally bad choice based on her past work, but I know she has been wanting to try her hand at a musical for a while.

It was a hire made primarily for optics and representation; they wanted a female director, they got one, and they chose the wrong one. A new director for Broadway would probably also mean starting from scratch with the design, which would be costly. Jerry Mitchell, Marianne Elliott, or Susan Stroman could all be excellent choices for this. Maybe Diane Paulus or Stephen Daldry or Casey Nicholaw or Rob Ashford.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 1/28/23 at 9:10pm

Let Mitchell do it. Even though Pretty Woman was hot garbage. 

[StylishCynic]

Posted: 1/30/23 at 2:28pm

Has the cast been paid yet for the Chicago tryout?

Last I heard in November, they hadn't been paid by then.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/30/23 at 2:44pm

StylishCynic said: "Has the cast been paid yet for the Chicago tryout? Last I heard in November, they hadn't been paid by then."

What on earth are you talking about? Actors are paid weekly salaries. If those defect for any reason, the salaries are bonded. There would have been an uproar as great or larger than PARADISE SQUARE if that happened. Do you mean union payments (pension, insurance, etc) or a completion bonus or a media fee or per diem or something else?

[StylishCynic]

Posted: 1/30/23 at 3:40pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "StylishCynic said: "Has the cast been paid yet for the Chicago tryout?Last I heard in November, they hadn't been paid by then."

What on earth are you talking about? Actors are paid weekly salaries. If those defect for any reason, the salaries are bonded. There would have been an uproar as great or larger than PARADISE SQUARE if that happened. Do you mean union payments (pension, insurance, etc) or a completion bonus or a media fee or per diem or something else?"

I had heard from a reliable source in November that "the cast of the Devil Wears Prada hadn't been paid" for the tryout. Spoke to another friend in the industry and it was also confirmed by them. 

I don't know the precise definition of "cast", but as the situation was explained to me, it meant the performers. I was also surprised that there wasn't widespread reporting on this!

[JSquared2]

Posted: 1/30/23 at 3:43pm

StylishCynic said: "I had heard from a reliable source in November that "the cast of the Devil Wears Prada hadn't been paid" for the tryout. Spoke to another friend in the industry and it was also confirmed by them.

I don't know the precise definition of "cast", but as the situation was explained to me, it meant the performers. I was also surprised that there wasn't widespread reporting on this!"

 

Your "sources" both suck.  This is total BS.

 

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/30/23 at 3:58pm

StylishCynic said: "Has the cast been paid yet for the Chicago tryout?

Last I heard in November, they hadn't been paid by then."

There is absolutely no way the cast wouldn’t have been paid without there being some kind of uproar. If they weren’t paid, they likely would have grounds to strike and not perform. Whoever your “reliable” source is must be mixing things up.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/30/23 at 4:00pm

Also the show did very well in Chicago so no reason they wouldn't get paid.

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 2/14/23 at 9:27am

In the announcement of the Chicago try out of the Betty Boop musical, Chris Jones is reporting Jerry Mitchell is likely directing a london production of Devil Wears Prada soon:

Mitchell, a sought-after director-auteur of popular musicals, is next expected to take over the production of “The Devil Wears Prada” (a less than successful prior Chicago tryout) for a likely London premiere, although he said that deal is not yet done.

Link

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/14/23 at 9:31am

Smart move to go to London next before Broadway. Would love to know what’s happening with the rest of the team tho. 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 2/14/23 at 9:43am

Brining on a new director is certainly a step in the right direction in my opinion. What I saw in Chicago was by no means unsalvageable, but it was definitely not a good show by any means.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/14/23 at 10:53am

Wondering if they are straight up replacing Shapiro, or if she’ll still be credited in some way.

[bk]

Posted: 2/14/23 at 5:17pm

StylishCynic said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "StylishCynic said: "Has the cast been paid yet for the Chicago tryout?Last I heard in November, they hadn't been paid by then."

What on earth are you talking about? Actors are paid weekly salaries. If those defect for any reason, the salaries are bonded. There would have been an uproar as great or larger than PARADISE SQUARE if that happened. Do you mean union payments (pension, insurance, etc) or a completion bonus or a media fee or per diem or something else?"

I had heard from a reliable source in November that "the cast of the Devil Wears Prada hadn't been paid" for the tryout. Spoke to another friend in the industry and it was also confirmed by them.

I don't know the precise definition of "cast", but as the situation was explained to me, it meant the performers. I was also surprised that there wasn't widespread reporting on this!"

There isn't ANY reporting on this because it's BS. There is an Equity bond in place if such a thing actually happened, which clearly it did not. Why do people do this?

 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 2/14/23 at 9:29pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Smart move to go to London next before Broadway. Would love to know what’s happening with the rest of the team tho."

The whole rest of the team should go! Let Mitchell use his creatives for his vision. He's got both Boop and Prada aiming for Broadway in '24.

[nativenewyorker2]

Posted: 2/14/23 at 10:38pm

I think they are mixing things up. There was a show in Chicago where performers weren’t paid but that was The Garden of Eden concert NOT the devil wears Prada 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/14/23 at 10:53pm

Call_me_jorge said: "Wondering if they are straight up replacing Shapiro, or if she’ll still be credited in some way."

That is likely up to her and her agents.

The good news for her is that if she was indeed fired (didn't resign), she could earn good $$ for this show, with or without credit.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/6/23 at 2:46pm

Any further rumblings about this?