Posted: 2/18/24 at 12:39pm
Agreed, I’d rather a presence than a traditional musical theatre actress. But Williams is a better choice than Murphy in my book. Even somebody like Jennifer Saunders would intrigue me, but alas, I’m more concerned with Elton’s score because boy is it horrid.
Posted: 2/18/24 at 12:53pm
Vanessa is a genius choice.
Posted: 2/18/24 at 2:30pm
I enjoyed the movie on the basis of its wit and the cast. But something the producers may not have considered is how much of the ticket buying general public would be interested in the fashion industry? For most, I think, it would spell dullsville.
Posted: 2/18/24 at 3:15pm
Oh, I see their casting strategy - this should make recasting the ingenue role less problematic.
Posted: 2/18/24 at 3:40pm
Impeach2017 said: "Oh, I see their casting strategy - this should make recasting the ingenue role less problematic."
Yep I agree. Also, although Vanessa does not have the most powerhouse voice anymore she can hit notes and belts, she is classy and has a remarkable character in her career. Smart move from the casting team
Posted: 2/18/24 at 4:53pm
As someone who saw the production in Chicago, there was not an ounce of belting in the entire show, ESPECIALLY Miranda's role as she barely sang. I know they are likely reworking the score given how flat it fell, but I don't think we need to worry too much about Vanessa's vocal prowess in the role she'd be in.
Posted: 2/19/24 at 5:35am
Vanessa Williams officially confirmed for Miranda Priestley role
EDIT: Promo video released on Twitter
Updated On: 2/19/24 at 05:35 AM
Posted: 2/19/24 at 9:05am
I was actually very surprised to see Vanessa on a recent episode of Name That Tune where she won a respectable sum for Musical Theater scholarships to her alma mater Syracuse University. I have been a fan since The Right Stuff and Sweetest Days albums. She’s a star. I am very happy with this casting.
Posted: 2/19/24 at 9:48am
Melissa25 said: "I was actually very surprised to see Vanessa on a recent episode of Name That Tune where she won a respectable sum for Musical Theater scholarships to her alma mater Syracuse University. I have been a fan since The Right Stuff and Sweetest Days albums. She’s a star. I am very happy with this casting."
You must be my spiritual twin. I've loved Vanessa forever and a day and those two albums along with her stellar The Comfort Zone are three of her greatest. I am also very happy with this casting.
Posted: 2/19/24 at 9:58am
Hopefully they've done a complete overhaul of the book and score. I'm not hopeful.
Posted: 2/19/24 at 10:53am
DaveyG said: "Hopefully they've done a complete overhaul of the book and score. I'm not hopeful."
A friend is working production on this and they are literally starting from zero again for this. Some songs will be carried over but the design and book is all brand new. This production will have zero connection to the disastrous Chicago incarnation of the property.
Posted: 2/19/24 at 11:01am
The new design team is:
set design by Tim Hatley (Life of Pi, Back to the Future)
costume design by Gregg Barnes (Some Like It Hot, Legally Blonde)
lighting design by Bruno Poet (The Tina Turner Musical, Frankenstein)
sound design by Gareth Owen (Come From Away, & Juliet)
Curious to see who populates the music team now as arrangers/orchestrator, or if that's still Nadia DiGiallonardo & Giles Martin.
I can't wait for the Optics Police to yell about how they replaced a female director, set designer, costume designer, and lighting designer, and a trans female choreographer, with men for the London revisal.
Updated On: 2/19/24 at 11:01 AM
Posted: 2/19/24 at 12:22pm
The website looks fantastic, can't wait to see the new costumes and characterization for Miranda
https://devilwearspradamusical.com/
Posted: 2/19/24 at 12:31pm
BrodyFosse123 said: "DaveyG said: "Hopefully they've done a complete overhaul of the book and score. I'm not hopeful."
A friend is working production on this and they are literally starting from zero again for this. Some songs will be carried over but the design and book is all brand new. This production will have zero connection to the disastrous Chicago incarnation of the property."
How can they be "literally" starting from zero while still using some of the same songs?
Posted: 2/19/24 at 12:40pm
I found it hilarious in the Deadline article that the production in Chicago was called a “developmental run”.
Posted: 2/19/24 at 12:44pm
JSquared2 said: "How can they be "literally" starting from zero while still using some of the same songs?"
Yeah, by nature of it having a previous out-of-town run, it's more like they're starting from 10 hoping to get to 100...or at least to 80. If we're going to use numerical analogies.
Obviously the physical production starts fresh with new director/designers. But they've still got the same writing team (unless someone else has done an uncredited pass).
Posted: 2/19/24 at 1:12pm
I guess I missed it, but at what point did Paul Rudnick leave this?
Posted: 2/19/24 at 1:18pm
How can they be "literally" starting from zero while still using some of the same songs?
Existing songs can be incorporated elsewhere from how they were used in Chicago. Has happened many times in other musicals during previews. Kept a song but used it in another scene and given to another actor.
Posted: 2/19/24 at 1:24pm
Yes but that is not “literally starting from Zero.” Starting from Zero means brand new everything.
Posted: 2/19/24 at 2:01pm
jvoom said: "I guess I missed it, but at what point did Paul Rudnick leave this?"
Sometime prior to Chicago. He was not billed as bookwriter on that production For a time prior to that production's opening, he and Wetherhead were billed as co-bookwriters, and then his name was dropped.
(I assume it was dropped per his request of not being attached to it, and he may still get some type of royalty. He's famously done a ton of uncredited rewrites over the years on films and probably on stage shows, too.)
Posted: 2/19/24 at 2:03pm
Signore Contini,Telephone said: "The website looks fantastic, can't wait to see the new costumes and characterization for Miranda
https://devilwearspradamusical.com/"
"Fantastic"? It's... scarcely more than a splash page at this point. They're using the movie logo and a photoshopped image of Williams. It's very basic stuff.
Updated On: 2/19/24 at 02:03 PM
Posted: 2/19/24 at 4:10pm
BroadwayNYC2 said: "I’m more concerned with Elton’s score because boy is it horrid."
The way they threw Anna D. Shapiro under the bus will seem like a massive blunder to me. I’m not saying Shapiro’s work was perfect, but had Elton been a little bit more collaborative I think it would’ve turned out differently. Hopefully Mr. John shows up to the rehearsal room for Jerry Mitchell.
Posted: 2/20/24 at 2:56am
When and how much do we expect Shaina to be missing Suffs performances for this? Between its “tryout” run and the West End mounting I’d imagine if Suffs is running through the fall months she’ll be doing at least a bit of traveling. No slight to her, I trust however much she’s out of the show is however much is needed for her to properly do her job. But curious what people’s thoughts are on what the plan might be?
Updated On: 2/20/24 at 02:56 AM
Posted: 2/20/24 at 4:13pm
I have this cast theory that Andy and Emily's actresses are already defined, both were followed by Jerry Mitchell and Vanessa Williams (and all of them are mutual followers) some weeks ago when Vanessa started to be rumored as Miranda. The actresses are:
Molly Lynch - Andrea Sachs - https://www.instagram.com/mollyblynch/
Amy Di Bartolomeo - Emily - https://www.instagram.com/amydibartolomeo/
Posted: 2/28/24 at 11:08am
Adding this to this thread so the other can die:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C33BvvRIvlP/
Updated On: 7/9/25 at 11:08 AM
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