THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA Musical - News & Discussion Thread- Page 6

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 1:40am

Ironically, the shill who compared it to Mean Girls and American Psycho was right on the money--a lackluster musical that fails to escape the shadow of its iconic, near-perfect source material.

You know how people talk about how the Phantom in Phantom is only onstage for maybe 20 minutes total, but you would never know because the threat of his wrath is felt at every moment? That's what Miranda should be like, and yet whenever she's onstage you feel nothing, and whenever she's offstage you forget about her. This is not Beth Leavel's fault. The writers don't know what to do with her--how to make a character famous for whispering and underplaying each devastating quip and demand sing--and their solution is to have her lazily speak-sing tightly rhymed couplets with harpsichord accompaniment. Think Henry Higgins on dramamine. When she belts out her internal monologue in the 11 o'clock slot, it's too little too late. Making Miranda sing was always going to be the challenge of this musical, and the solutions they've come up with don't work, and the supporting characters aren't interesting enough to make up for void at the center of it all.

All the other problems--the generic quality to the score, the length (2 hrs, 40 min), the ugliness of the set, the  choreography that wasn't integrated into the storytelling, the costume moments that don't read from the back of the house--none of this really matters until they fix the central relationship of the piece. 

Emily gets a fun number at the top of act two, and there are some good one-liners in the book. Otherwise, there's not a ton to recommend in the show at this state. There are talented people at the helm of this show, I hope they're ready to get to work because I am rooting for them to turn this ship around.

Updated On: 7/20/22 at 01:40 AM

[Ke3]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 1:41am

Fosse76 said: "BrodyFosse123 said: "It is a fundraiser for The Met so everyone invited must pay for their ticket."

It's a fundraiser for the Met's Fashion Institute only, which is chaired by Wintour. No other departments receive a dime from this fundraiser."

To be fair, the Costume Institute doesn't receive any money from The Met to maintain their collection. So they can't exactly afford to give away dough from their biggest fundraising event of the year to other departments.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 3:12am

Oh wow. It sounds like there is too much wrong here to turn it around.

Why do they mess these things up? They have money and time and still get it wrong.

[Fan123]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 4:09am

If anyone who has seen the show so far, is familiar enough with the film to answer this: have they made any significant changes to the plot?

(This is probably just me, but I always found the film to be a bit uneventful. I had hoped the musical might try to 'fix' that.)

[OhHiii]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 6:59am

HOW do you produce a Devil Wears Prada musical and the only character any fan of the movie actually gives a flip about is forgettable?! What a colossal and embarrassing failure. 

Let’s remember this is the same producer behind the atrocity that was Doubtfire and that too had an out of town tryout and 2 plus years to fix and they didn’t.

I had such high hopes for this and maybe there’s saving it, but a Prada with lackluster costumes (why do it if Pat Fields isn’t your costume designer?), ugly sets and a forgettable Miranda sounds like more of a overhaul situation than a few tweaks here and there. 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 7:05am

n/m

Updated On: 7/20/22 at 07:05 AM

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 8:52am

You mean the shill who joined on July 17 just to post a rave review of the dress rehearsal is a fraud and a liar? Say it ain't so!

[ChiDoc]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 10:17am

Fan123 said: "If anyone who has seen the show so far, is familiar enough with the film to answer this: have they made any significant changes to the plot?

(This is probably just me, but I always found the film to be a bit uneventful. I had hoped the musical might try to 'fix' that.)"

No, by my recollection the bones are the same.  Some small changes or cuts (mostly in Andy’s growing relationship with Miranda, an extra friend for Andy, and changes to Miranda’s personal life), but otherwise it’s the movie.  But I also saw the movie only once, so I could be wrong.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 10:29am

I think the only "change" is that Andie is applying for a different/more serious publication at the company from the very beginning and one of the high profile writers for that publication is (conveniently) introduced very early in the show - in fact, he has more stage time (and a random dance sequence) than the boyfriend.  In the movie, that character is a photographer with "connections".  

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 10:30am

Was Paris a big enough moment in the book/movie to devote the entire act to it? I don’t remember it being a significant portion of the film.

Sounds like they need a show doctor. Get Jerry Mitchell. 

[Lola Getz2]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 10:30am

I am so sorry to read these reports. I was greatly anticipating this one. I hope they give Beth more to do, she (and Miranda) deserve it. I may try to catch this when I am in Chicago. Hopefully things will turn around, but this sounds terrible. 

[Tag]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 10:42am

Paging Sherie Rene Scott's Ursula wig.  Beth Leavel needs you.

Updated On: 7/20/22 at 10:42 AM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 10:46am

I agree.  They should have made this Miranda Priestley’s show the same way she was expanded for the film.  Without Miranda being a pivotal role, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA just lags.  The Andy character needs that presence to sustain any interest in what she experiences.  Miranda should be given equal attention or heck, make it about HER and have Andy as the subplot.

All her stage entrances should be with the elevator set rising the stage floor from center stage, the doors parting, and there is Miranda in that iconic silver asymmetrical haircut, sunglasses, attitude, etc.  That entrance would stop the show with standing ovation, etc.  Same as when Ebersole made her stage entrance for Act 2 of GREY GARDENS - in her full Little Edie “revolutionary costume for the day.” Hell, Miranda should make ALL her entrances this way so when that elevator rises from the stage floor, you know she’s about to appear.  Same way Spielberg used the famous music in JAWS - you knew the shark was near when that music slowly creeped in.

It’s obvious they missed the boat trying to modify THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA as a musical.  Um, no.  The movie was a fun, popcorn ride - it wasn’t SOPHIE’S CHOICE or SCHINDLER’S LIST.  It was a huge global success because it was fun with some dramatic subtext.

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 11:02am

Can anyone who saw it elaborate on Beth’s Miranda wig? Someone called it “plain red”…I’m shocked they didn’t go with the Meryl look on this. Its kinda iconic! Does the show wig resemble Anna Wintaur more? I’m confused. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 11:03am

For me, the problem with most film-to-stage musical adaptations is that they already use music in their soundtracks to tell the story, and in the case of The Devil Wears Prada, it's very effective. "Suddenly I See" and "Vogue" are two standouts, but other great songs and original scoring is used throughout, so, unless the theatrical score can elevate it to another level, it's just another "Why bother?" production.

Honestly, since I've seen the movie so many times, I'd rather see someone lip sync Meryl Streep's dialogue than have Beth Level, who I love, try to recreate it. Hell, throw in Emily Blunt's dialogue, too. The delivery of those lines can't be topped. 

https://www.tiktok.com/@julianburzynski/video/7120357520119549226

 

 

[Marlothom]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 11:13am

I called it plain, someone else called it 90's Reba.  It's not a Wintour bob - it's longer and the red is just too plain - I was 10th row and it did not stand out. 

[kwoc91]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 11:47am

TaffyDavenport said: "Honestly, since I've seen the movie so many times, I'd rather see someone lip sync Meryl Streep's dialogue than have Beth Level, who I love, try to recreate it."

A few years ago, I went to a Devil Wears Prada themed drag show at Roscoe's bar in Chicago. Jinkx Monsoon was Miranda and lip synced her most recognizable lines of dialogue. It was a hot mess but it was probably more entertaining than the early reports of this production seem to indicate.





"

 

[catalana3]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 12:00pm

When do previews end?

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 12:06pm

Marlothom said: "I called it plain, someone else called it 90's Reba. It's not a Wintour bob - it's longer and the red is just too plain - I was 10th row and it did not stand out."

What an epic miss! “Give ‘em what they want”

[Kad]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 12:29pm

Why was there a need to bring this into modern day? Why couldn’t it be a mid-aughts period piece? It feels like musical adaptations of films can be set in the 80s or before but anything set in the 90s or 00s needs to be uplifted to present day.

Updated On: 7/20/22 at 12:29 PM

[StylishCynic]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 12:31pm

I attended the world premiere last night, and my first impression of the show as a whole is a famine of beauty. 

For those who have enjoyed the recent pre-Broadway Chicago tryouts this production has more in common with Tootsie than War Paint. (If I had to stack rank by quality of show, I'd say: War Paint, The Cher Show [world premiere performance, to note], DWP, Tootsie).

The good:

Sets + Lighting: I found the whole production incredibly chic and expensive –especially the Runway offices. Spoilers: the stage is mostly flanked by 2 large feet of the Highline or Brooklyn Bridge. In Act 2, the vertical bases slant, which turns the bridge feet into the feet of the Eiffel Tower. A con, however, was the Eiffel Tower staging was literally present for the entirety of the second act, which quickly became stale. 

Talent: Strong voices all around. Very strong book scenes. No complaints with the singing (more to come on the songs...)

 

The middle:

The Book: 90% of the book is ripped directly from the movie, with few jokes modernized. The book scenes were okay, but if you've seen the movie a million times, then there are few surprises. Most of the new lines are Nigel quips. (Example: "Why do you always look like you just ran up 9 flights of stairs?" spoken to Andy)

 

The bad:

Songs Suck: I don't know how else to put this. The songs are lifeless and stall the show. None of the tunes are memorable. Each song can basically have been covered in 5 lines of dialogue. The lyrics are shoddy. Nigel's makeover number and Miranda's 11 O'Clock number are the two best pieces, but even the former would be a third rate song in, say, The Prom (and that's saying a lot).

The Opening: Just... WHAT. It went nowhere. The movie opening is so iconic because it sets the stakes of Andy versus fashion girls. The lingerie + heels combo is a great way to approach this, but they didn't do anything with it. We needed to see Andy getting ready in a frumpy bathrobe while the glamazons did their thing to truly foil the two.

The Title Song: Completely incomprehensible. People were laughing out loud being like WTH are they saying right now? Tuneless. Has no arc and builds to nothing. When the reprise came at the end, I heard quite a few people laugh in the sense of "oh no, not this one again!"

The show has a Miranda problem: Namely, she doesn't sing! Beth's acting and singing is terrific, and she was the only thing in the show that made me lean forward and want more... but they don't give her much of anything to sing. She has a recurring patter theme of That's All where she lists things to be done (set to a more elegant, refined score than the rest of the music) that plays throughout the show (her part in the Act 1 finale, Devil Wears Prada, is actually just this theme... again), but it very quickly becomes tedious. It's also talk-sung so the character doesn't get the chance to really sing until there's 20 minutes left in the show.

But the creative team is in a precarious situation with Miranda. They really can't give us more Miranda songs because the character is a cipher (much like Bobbie). If we get inside her head before the 11 O'Clock number, then there's no tension. Andy is the lens so Miranda needs to be a puzzle. Maybe a that split the perspective across Miranda and Andy was the best path forward for a known property like this?

Still, it's absolutely astounding that there's not one song where Andy and Miranda sing. There's a staging moment in Act 1 where Andy's apartment couch is mirrored with Miranda's office, and I thought this was going to be a sort of moment where each character was going to sing about their troubles, which would be juxtaposed with one another (Andy: struggling with living in NYC and her job; Miranda: struggling with maintaining relevance and purpose). But, nope. It was just beautiful staging that went nowhere.

Print Magazine in 202x Flops : The setting is modern, but outside of a few lines where Miranda is spending money that the magazine doesn't have because print advertising isn't what it was in 2006, there's no contemporary lens of the Editor in Chief. VOGUE editors were pushed into early retirement, or when the big names retired in the 2010's they simply weren't replaced. Town cars, travel + entertainment budgets, and editorial expenses have all been slashed as digital advertising giants captured the print ad dollars.

There's so much to play with here. How is Miranda navigating having fewer editors, or laying them off, or not having access to the creative capabilities granted to VOGUE in the 1970's - 2008?? Her ad budgets have gone to Instagram and Pinterest?? How is she using social media to maintain cultural currency (e.g. VOGUE cover reveals each month are a big to-do and are timed to release on Instagram).

There's a huge opportunity to see a woman editor in chief who is trying to triage attrition and maintain relevance that's completely neglected and is, perhaps, the most interesting angle to approach a Wintour character study. Instead the show goes with Miranda is a very demanding HBIC. (

Note: they do give Miranda a patter, speech song during Andy's interview where she reveals that she's very in tune with their New Yorker brand's position as a liberal "echo chamber" and the socioeconomic work politics of aspiring, liberal writers. So, she's smart and knows much more than fashion... but they don't do anything with this and, arguably, regress her character after this moment).

Nigel: Missed opportunity to right a wrong here and create a new, larger than life fabulous, Andre Leon Talley type of character.

Fashion: Costumes were too theater and not fashion at all. There's a fashion showcase during the makeover number with famous silhouettes (Lacroix wedding dress, Chanel skirt + jacket, Dior New Look, an 80's Saint Laurent mermaid hoop skirt sleeveless dress) that all looked cheap. Andy's dresses that were supposed to be high fashion looked like they came from Express. 

Industry (Note: I've worked in the industry and have an archive of runway clothing): There's so many things that the show gets wrong. For starters, multiple Runway characters (including Miranda) were saying designer names wrong (e.g. saying the S on Yves). The cringe was so bad on these words.

They called Miranda's gala a "ball"... which no one in NYC society calls these events. They're practically always referred to as galas unless someone is very nouveau. New York has "gala season", not "ball season."

Also there are guests arriving at Miranda's "ball" red carpet... before Miranda. This would never happen. The host is always the first to arrive and personally greets each invitee. 

They say that Nigel is hired as Creative Director of James Holt. This doesn't make any sense because the Creative Director is always the designer. James Holt is still in charge of his brand, and he would absolutely be the Creative Director (e.g. Daniel Roseberry is the CD of Schiaparelli). And then later Miranda says that the role of President (not CD) is going to you know who so even that's inconsistent. 

The Ending: The show simply stops. There's a brief, brief reprise of TDWP by Miranda, and Andy sings for about a minute and... curtain. No build. No life. It was truly like the ending of Tootise the Musical but set to music. My friends and those sitting around me were actually looking around the room in astonishment saying to themselves, "That's... all?"

 

Other stuff:

The merchandise all says DWP. Spoke to the vendor clerk, and they said they're not allowed to have anything say Prada on it.

Here's the designers credited in the Playbill:

Prada (99% sure that Miranda's "ball" dress is a red, sequin gown adapted from some of the styles in their Fall 2021 collection; Miranda carries the Prada frame handbag that Meryl carries in movie)

Christian Louboutin (did all the shoes... yes, the famous line is now changed to "Are those the–" "Louboutin boots? Yeah."

Gucci, Moschino, Isabel Marant, Alexandre Vauthier, Christopher John Rogers, Sergio Hudson, Marc Jacobs, Jim Gianopulos, Wendy Finerman, Gretchen Oldt, Andrea Gluck of Eyewear Designs

Updated On: 7/20/22 at 12:31 PM

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 12:58pm

Marlothom said: "I think the only "change" is that Andie is applying for a different/more serious publication at the company from the very beginning and one of the high profile writers for that publication is (conveniently) introduced very early in the show - in fact, he has more stage time (and a random dance sequence) than the boyfriend. In the movie, that character is a photographer with "connections"."

That actually sounds like a positive change. I didn't love the drama in the movie once they left NY. It felt contrived. But the stuff with Andy's friends feels like a leftover from the book where she was more of a snake (or at least a thoughtless young woman) who devoted herself to meeting Miranda's demands. The movie turns her into a Hathaway ingenue.

Also, I like the idea of this being set a couple decades ago or else being about a conflict between dying print media and digital.

[Tag]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 1:13pm

Please tell me they have updated the twins' Harry Potter manuscript demand to be for the one-part Cursed Child unreleased script.

[StylishCynic]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 1:34pm

Tag said: "Please tell me they have updated the twins' Harry Potter manuscript demand to be for the one-part Cursed Child unreleased script."

The twins are replaced by an adult daughter (I believe her name is Cassidy, but I could be wrong) who is an unseen character.

There's one impossible task that replaces the Miami hurricane and the Harry Potter Manuscript. Andy needs to get Miranda's adult daughter a flight to Marrakesh for a Saint Laurent caftan fitting. There's a sandstorm so nothing is flying into Marrakesh. Miranda is veryyy disappointed in Andy's inability to get her daughter a flight, which launches here into the "go with the smart, fat girl" moment.

We learn in Act 2 that Andy's creative solution that so impresses Miranda is that she has the designer flown to Ibiza (pronounced "eye-biza" in the show... facepalm) to give her daughter a private fitting there.

We're also told that Miranda's daughter chose a "safari print," which is very funny because there's no such thing as a safari print. There's animal print, where you'd typically specify the animal (e.g. ocelot print), and there's Yves Saint Laurent's notorious 1968 Safari / Saharienne collection –but no one in fashion would ever say "safari print."

 

Updated On: 7/20/22 at 01:34 PM

[StylishCynic]

Posted: 7/20/22 at 1:39pm

OH, there's a huge, creative choice that made me want to grind my teeth.

The infamous cerulean monologue is kicked off by a Runway employee holding up two belts and saying "it's a tough call; they're so different." Andy laughs at them, says they're the same, and it's just "stuff."

The production chose for the editor/stylist to hold up a BLACK dress with 2 BLACK belts held in front of the dress. Sitting in the audience, you can't make out anything that they're holding. There's too much dark clothing.

It's laughable that the production thought this is the best choice instead of a neutral dress with clashing color belt that could all easily be seen from the back of the house.  

Updated On: 7/20/22 at 01:39 PM