The Devil Wears Prada ★★★ Dominion Theatre | Until May 31, 2025


If you enjoyed the film, you will love this show. The Faustian tale of a young writer who wanders into the world of high fashion via a magazine dominated by a demanding perfectionist is widely believed to have been based on Anna Wintour's tenure as the editor-in-chief of Vogue. The show invites one to delight in all the stereotypes we associate with the fashion industry: narcissism, bitchiness, and intrigue. The repartee flies and the whip cracks, as our sweet young heroine, Andy, falls under the spell of the terrifying Miranda, played by legendary Vanessa Williams. Dazzled by the glamour of her new life, she is danger of forsaking her boyfriend, the good and kind hearted, Nate. The burning question becomes, "Will she turn into a clone of her driven and destructive mentor?" Like the fashion industry itself, the plot of the The Devil Wears Prada, isn't about engaging any very challenging realities. It's all about the packaging, and in this case, the snappy dialogue, terrific costumes, versatile set and catchy music do the trick. Many of the great lines from the film reappear and Gregg Barnes' costumes are simply extraordinary. One starts to wonder how he will top himself in the next number. Tim Hatley's set also works a treat. Both the staircase scene and the Eiffel Tower background are suitably awesome. In the first act, Elton John's music is bouncy and engaging, but the theatre's acoustics sometimes make it difficult to catch all those acerbic lyrics. It is not until the second act when we get to some of the ballads that we actually start to make a real connection with the characters and we get songs that are likely to become stand-alone hits. "Seen" as sung by Matt Henry is probably the unexpected stand-out number of the show, and Henry does a beautiful job of conveying its pathos and power. We also liked "Who's She" sung by Rhys Whitfield who plays the overlooked boyfriend. Georgie Buckland shines as Andy, the frump who becomes a fashionista, and she brings some nice acting chops and a powerful voice to her role. Another highpoint was the great comic number "Bon Voyage" which is innovatively choreographed by Director Jerry Mitchell and nicely showcases the talents of the very funny Amy di Bartolomeo. While, perhaps, not quite haute couture, The Devil Wears Prada definitely has some eye-catching style.

Rated: ★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Matt Crockett

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