Vanessa Williams has some... ssstuff she'd like you to look over. Namely, a surprisingly large amount of the material she's performing in the West End-bound stage musical of The Devil Wears Prada, via an interview on Good Morning America. Williams is currently starring as the fierce Miranda Priestly in the musical's pre-West End tryout at Theatre Royal Plymouth, with the West End bow set to begin later this year.
In the interview, Williams covers her career and the inspiration behind her take on the infamous Runway editor-in-chief, including much of the famous "Cerulean" monologue and several sung portions from the new Elton John-Shaina Taub score. Watch below (she does the iconic monologue at the 2:18 timestamp).
The Good Morning America segment is actually just one of several sneak peeks at the new musical that have dropped since pre-West End previews began. This Instagram post from the production features Williams in full costume making a true star entrance. Watch below.
The musical began its U.K. premiere pre-West End run at Theatre Royal Plymouth July 6, with performances continuing through August 17. The West End bow is scheduled to begin October 24 at London's Dominion Theatre.
The musical features music by Elton John, lyrics by two-time 2024 Tony winner Shaina Taub (Suffs), and a book by Kate Wetherhead. Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots) is directing and choreographing.
Williams leads the cast as the ruthless Miranda Priestly, sharing the stage with Georgie Buckland as Andy, Amy Di Bartolomeo (SIX: The Musical) as Emily, James Darch as Christian, Rhys Whitfield as Nate, and Olivier winner Matt Henry as Nigel.
Based on the novel by Lauren Weisberger and the 2006 film adaptation, The Devil Wears Prada follows aspiring fashion journalist Andy Sachs. When she is hired as assistant to Miranda Priestly, editor-in-chief of the fictional Runway Magazine, she discovers that breaking into the industry requires more than she expected.
The Devil Wears Prada had its world premiere at Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre in 2022, with a different creative team and cast.
Mitchell's creative team includes scenic designer Tim Hatley, costume designer Gregg Barnes, lighting designer Bruno Poet, sound designer Gareth Owen, and hair, wig, and makeup designer Campbell Young Associates. Casting is by Jill Green. Orchestrations and arrangements are by music supervisor Tom Deering, and Katharine Woolley is music director. Giles Martin serves as music executive.
Kevin McCollum and Rocket Entertainment's David Furnish are still attached as producers after working on the Chicago world premiere. Joining for the U.K. bow is Jamie Wilson. They present by special arrangement with Buena Vista Theatrical.
Visit DevilWearsPradaMusical.com.
