By Neil Durham

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

WHEN?: Tuesday 5 November 2024 and booking through 31 May 2025 RUNTIME: 150 minutes (includes a 20-minute interval)

This musical of a beloved 2006 film with a star turn by Meryl Streep goes down a storm at this cavernous venue particularly whenever Williams (City Of Angels, Garrick Theatre) as fashion editor Miranda Priestly emerges striking a pose through the stage’s trapdoor.

• Read on for reasons including how you will be as absolutely swept up and bowled over by this as we were

The songs were more immediate than we were expecting on 1st listen and we loved Priestly’s imperious and defiant Stay On Top late on as she exposes the sexism successful businesswomen like her are subjected to.

Elsewhere Olivier Award winner Matt Henry (Kinky Boots, Adelphi Theatre) shines in a supporting role as fashion magazine Runway‘s gay creative director Nigel explaining his backstory during soulful slowie Seen which reveals Priestly’s mentorship of him as he steps out of the closet and ‘into curating closets’.

Georgie Buckland makes a memorable West End debut as aspiring journalist Andy who is hired as Priestly’s personal assistant despite a fashion sense which is described by her challenging workmates as ‘Hobbit-like’ or ‘two points to Gryffindor’.

If you were wondering, the film’s 2006 setting is retained and 1 of the ridiculous challenges Priestly tasks Andy with is tracking down an unpublished manuscript of the next Harry Potter.

Buckland’s Andy is made over by Nigel, wins over Priestly and usurps colleague Emily, given an hilarious turn by Amy Di Bartolomeo, as she makes it to the fashion shows of Paris where she dazzles allcomers during impressive song and dance number Who’s She?

It’s often said that great musicals aren’t written but rewritten and this has music by Elton John (Tammy Faye, Almeida) and lyrics by Shaina Taub, whose Suffs won 2 Tonys this year for Best Musical and Best Score, but appeared to be struggling when it opened in Chicago in 2022 never making it to Broadway.

Some parts of the story have been reworked or removed, new songs written and choreographer Jerry Mitchell brought on board whose film-to-stage successes have included the similarly-themed and brilliant Legally Blonde (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre).

John’s musical palette draws on some upbeat electronic music you might not be expecting like Pet Shop Boys and we loved the Madonna-like vogueing during early scene-setter House Of Miranda.

Visually it’s an absolute spectacle (there’s even an appearance by a lit and quite stunning Eiffel Tower) and the whooping audience was having a riot on a Tuesday night in a sea of leopard print and Prosecco. And that was just the gays. Ourselves included.

If you loved the film as we did, we think by the time Andy realises What’s Right For Me? at the show’s close and Miranda’s revealed her true colours you will be as absolutely swept up and bowled over by this as we were.

• Main pictures via Facebook courtesy The Devil Wears Prada Tickets
• Have you seen an Elton John show before and what did you think of this 1? Let us know what you thought in the comments below
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