The Devil Wears Prada has now strutted onto London's West End, the latest in a growing line of musical adaptations of non-musical movies that includes Mean Girls, Back to the Future and Mrs Doubtfire.
With music from Elton John and the vast Dominion stage to take advantage of, hopes were high that the musical adaptation would make even Miranda Priestly smile. But while she might approve of the fashion and the staging, The Devil Wears Prada musical doesn't completely sing.
In transforming the story to stage, there have been some questionable choices made. The first act is overstuffed with the majority of the movie's plot, while the second act stretches out the Paris-set final act. The pacing suffers as a result, especially when certain songs exist purely to give characters something to do, like Andy's boyfriend Nate.
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It's also still set in 2005 (although there are fashion pieces from 1994 to now), so the Harry Potter subplot remains as does Miranda's nod to Rupert Murdoch. Magazine publishing might be in a different place nowadays, but it's still a missed chance to freshen things up.
But before we end up dismissing the musical like Miranda does a new assistant, there are as many high points as there are flaws.
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A musical based on The Devil Wears Prada should be a spectacle and it absolutely is, making the most of the Dominion space for striking moments like a fashion show in the aisles and extravagant group numbers. When the staging and the song is a perfect fit, as it is in stand-out number 'Dress Your Way Up', it's theatrical haute couture.
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There are forgettable numbers, most disappointingly the title song which doesn't match the drama of the staging, but more that'll leave you waiting for the soundtrack.
Nigel (an excellent Matt Henry) gets an emotional ballad 'Seen' that adds a backstory we didn't have in the movie, while Emily has the funniest number with second act opener 'Bon Voyage' which is an instant crowd favourite.
It's Amy Di Bartolomeo who steals the show entirely, despite the star power of Vanessa Williams and Georgie Buckland's impressive vocals as Andy. Di Bartolomeo manages to perfect Emily Blunt's take on the long-suffering assistant, while adding her own voice to it.
She's so good that the show suffers from her absence in the second act, and the show weirdly appears to know it, adding in a mostly pointless 'Bon Voyage' reprise just to get more of her.
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That's to take nothing away from Vanessa Williams who is perfect as Miranda Priestly. It's to her credit that even when the book requires her to recite full speeches from the movie, it's still entertaining and doesn't feel (too) lazy.
Most importantly, she gets a fittingly iconic entrance during early highlight 'House of Miranda'.
It's the strong cast and the fashionable spectacle that sees The Devil Wears Prada musical through its flaws. As the run goes on, it could be served by some trims and tweaks, but as it is, it's an entertaining fit for the West End.
How to buy The Devil Wears Prada musical tickets
The Devil Wears Prada is running now at London's Dominion Theatre until October 18, 2025, with performances at 7.30pm Monday to Saturday and 2.30pm matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Tickets are on sale now for all performances from the likes of TodayTix, LoveTheatre and London Theatre Direct.
You can also buy gift vouchers for two tickets to The Devil Wears Prada from Red Letter Days and Buyagift. Prices start from £85 for two tickets, with silver and gold options available at £119.99 and £199.99, respectively.
The Devil Wears Prada – A New Musical is now running at London's Dominion Theatre.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
