THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA musical headed to the UK and West End in 2024- Page 3

[gleek4114]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 10:49am

Yeah I’d probably suspect a completely new cast. Just speculation, but since they worked together on Pretty Woman and she’s based in the UK again, I could see Samantha Barks in contention to play Andy. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 10:55am

Clearly I’ve never written a musical but what made the script so bad? Doesn’t seem that hard to just write the film and plug in the songs where need be. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 9/13/23 at 9:11pm

RippedMan said: "Clearly I’ve never written a musical but what made the script so bad? Doesn’t seem that hard to just write the film and plug in the songs where need be."

This was an adaptation of the 2006 film - it wasn’t a full word-by-word recreation. New characters and scenes were written so it strayed extensively from the film. They didn’t just use the film script and add songs. 

[BETTY22]

Posted: 9/14/23 at 5:58pm

Hannah Waddingham would make an amazing Miranda Priestly 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 9/27/23 at 9:43pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sts130DT1v8

https://devilwearspradamusical.com/

 

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 9/27/23 at 10:06pm

BETTY22 said: "Hannah Waddingham would make an amazing Miranda Priestly"

I will drain my entire life savings to see her live on stage! 

[DaveyG]

Posted: 9/28/23 at 9:37am

Dylan Smith4 said: "BETTY22 said: "Hannah Waddingham would make an amazing Miranda Priestly"

I will drain my entire life savings to see her live on stage!"

Hannah W was just on Good Day New York and the interviewer asked her if she'll be returning to theatre. She said while she's had many wonderful offers, she wants to be home with her 9 year old daughter so it's not something she's interested currently. 

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 9/28/23 at 3:46pm

RippedMan said: "Clearly I’ve never written a musical but what made the script so bad? Doesn’t seem that hard to just write the film and plug in the songs where need be."

It lacked the tension of the film. Andy became a spoof of woke liberal-arts graduates (and was played by a black actress, which made the "lol she's into civil rights, isn't that cringe" jokes extra bizarre), Emily was basically turned into a clown, and Miranda was totally lost as a character. They also gave way too much time to the roommates and her boyfriend, and really everything that happened outside of the Runway offices sapped the show's energy. For some reason, Paris was depicted like a cartoon, with accordion music and sailors and a mime.

Overall it was kind of a fascinating dud, everything was just totally off. The discussion in the Chicago tryout thread goes into a lot of detail, if you're curious:

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1153172&page=5

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/28/23 at 3:50pm

Thanks! Fascinating for sure.

[OMG U Guyz]

Posted: 9/30/23 at 1:06pm

Marlothom said: "I am surprised they kept Kate Wetherhead as writer as none of her additions worked. Hypothesizing here but this tell me 1) they're going to add A LOT more dialogue from the film; 2) Jerry is paying back his scene stealing Legally Blonde alum. :)"

I think contractually they have to credit her if she’s responsible for any framework 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/30/23 at 2:10pm

OMG U Guyz said: "Marlothom said: "I am surprised they kept Kate Wetherhead as writer as none of her additions worked. Hypothesizing here but this tell me 1) they're going to add A LOT more dialogue from the film; 2) Jerry is paying back his scene stealing Legally Blonde alum. :)"

I think contractually they have to credit her if she’s responsible for any framework"

Think the poster is more surprised that another bookwriter hasn't been brought in. Or maybe they have been, in an uncredited capacity. Final credit would be subject to the dramatists' guild, the agents, and the producers.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 8:17pm

So a good pal of mine just got back from a project over seas and he worked with the actress who is playing Miranda Priestly in this new incarnation of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. I can’t say who it is but she’s led major Broadway productions including a major revival and was suggested on here by countless people pre-Chicago casting so many will be flipping out. She said they’re completely reworking the show from its Chicago fiasco and lots of new songs have been written already. She’ll definitely be making this UK production an event. And no, it’s not LuPone. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 8:41pm

For anyone who might want to peruse the original thread with the guesses for Miranda… crossing my fingers for Donna Murphy.

Updated On: 12/3/23 at 08:41 PM

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 8:44pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "So a good pal of mine just got back from a project over seas and he worked with the actress who is playing Miranda Priestly in this new incarnation of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. I can’t say who it is but she’s led major Broadway productions including a major revival and was suggested on here by countless people pre-Chicago casting so many will be flipping out. She said they’re completely reworking the show from its Chicago fiasco and lots of new songs have been written already. She’ll definitely be making this UK production an event. And no, it’s not LuPone."

Bernadette Peters is in the UK working on Old Friends... just saying... ;) lol.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 8:47pm

Good for them that they’re taking the time to rework the show, but I hope they keep “Dress Your Way Up.”

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 9:11pm

I honestly can’t think of a more perfect person for the role than Donna, so fingers crossed. 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 9:47pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "So a good pal of mine just got back from a project over seas and he worked with the actress who is playing Miranda Priestly in this new incarnation of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA. I can’t say who it is but she’s led major Broadway productions including a major revival and was suggested on here by countless people pre-Chicago casting so many will be flipping out. She said they’re completely reworking the show from its Chicago fiasco and lots of new songs have been written already. She’ll definitely be making this UK production an event. And no, it’s not LuPone."

Must be Donna Murphy

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 11:45pm

Donna's almost TOO obvious & perfect for this role, would love to see it.

I hope it's not Vanessa Williams (who is in pretty bad shape vocally-speaking these days).

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 2/18/24 at 9:40am

Casting announcement tomorrow 8:30 am I’m assuming London time. 

[Tag]

Posted: 2/18/24 at 10:27am

It's Vanessa Williams.

Surprised she'd take this on after Ugly Betty.  But she'll be great in the role.

[Owen22]

Posted: 2/18/24 at 10:39am

RippedMan said: "Clearly I’ve never written a musical but what made the script so bad? Doesn’t seem that hard to just write the film and plug in the songs where need be."

THAT is the problem with most screen-to-stage musical adaptations.

A book to a musical is more than the spoken words around the songs. It is the structure of the show.  It's scenes are the necessary scaffolding that allow the show to sing.  Unlike a play, the songs are there to reveal character, so one would hope the screenplay has been reduced so as to let the music and characters breath. Yet, that reduced screenplay adaptation has to be so well-written to not only propel the plot, but feel seamless with the music. Most of the modern adaptations keep the all screenplay's exposition THEN reiterate it in song so the whole enterprise becomes redundant.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/18/24 at 11:04am

Tag said: "It's Vanessa Williams.

Surprised she'd take this on after Ugly Betty. But she'll be great in the role."

God, what a boring choice. Hope she surprises and stuns in a major way.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 2/18/24 at 11:22am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Tag said: "It's Vanessa Williams.

Surprised she'd take this on after Ugly Betty. But she'll be great in the role."

God, what a boring choice. Hope she surprises and stuns in a major way."

Is this shocking? They went with the safest and most boring choice to re-direct this. Jerry Mitchell isn’t well known for interesting choices.

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 2/18/24 at 11:28am

But in what universe would Donna Murphy not be a “boring” choice? She checks all the obvious boxes as well. Love her, but let’s not pretend like she ain’t incredibly on the nose either. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/18/24 at 12:13pm

BroadwayNYC2 said: "But in what universe would Donna Murphy not be a “boring” choice? She checks all the obvious boxes as well. Love her, but let’s not pretend like she ain’t incredibly on the nose either."

There's a difference between "obvious, but would like to see it" and "obvious, but boring," but of course we're talking about personal opinions. I found Vanessa Williams to be absolutely lifeless on stage in Anyone Can Whistle (where she also demonstrated a greatly deteriorated singing voice), POTUS, and Sondheim on Sondheim. Where someone like Murphy can sometimes surprise us when she's an "obvious" choice for something, I've rarely been surprised or thrilled by Williams onstage.

Maybe she'll be brilliant! Who knows.

(My belief for a while has been that they should go with a British, talk-singing Miranda. Someone like Lindsay Duncan or Juliet Stevenson. But those ladies also aren't a far walk from Meryl, which is one of the perils of this role and why some might not want to take it.)

Updated On: 2/18/24 at 12:13 PM