The Devil Wears Prada - TR Plymouth / Dominion

Long show stop! 👀

30mins of a technical stop is ages!

mkb’s was 11 minutes?

I saw this last night from front row centre. A bargain at £42.50 compared to what others are paying. The stage is a little high, but sitting upright, I didn’t have a problem.

I feared the worst based on the reviews, but this is a full scale impressive musical, performed very well, selling very well, exactly what London needs. A great cast including a lot of seasoned performers. Fabulous costumes. Even better, for a Friday night audience full of women with glasses in their hands, I don’t notice any disruptions.

Now, I can’t say it’s the best plot of all time, but otherwise this is impossible to fault. I just must remember to wear designer gear rather than my work clothes when the ticket prices allow me to make a return visit!

Just saw the show last night.

I have to say this is one of my favourite shows I’ve seen in a long time. But I have to say it is due to the cast. Although there are a couple of catchy songs, most of the songs quite forgettable..

This is the definition of typecasting. Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater as Miranda Priestly is obviously the route they’ve gone for. But it works. She delivered all those famous lines perfectly. One thing I was shocked about was how little singing Miranda does. Although the more I thought about it, it make sense that she would be the character who wouldn’t just burst out into singing.

Georgie as Andy has a brilliant voice. And I loved how they changed her look during the makeover to stay away from Anne Hathaway. It’s no longer the look that is featured in the trailer they released.

Amy as Emily was the absolute standout of the night. She got some of the biggest laughs of the evening. And her voice just soars all around the Dominion.

Matt was great as usual. Corpsed at one point after an audible gasp from the audience but carried it off great.

We did have a show stop. Just as Andy finished the reprise of “How To Survive At Runway” leading into “Dress Your Way Up”. Was up and running again after about 5 minutes.

Overall I do think this is a great production. It’s a fun night out. Yes a lot of the songs are forgettable, but they serve the story, and a couple of songs are standouts. It is possibly one of the best movie to musical shows in recent years. But I think its future really will depend on cast. For the casts performances alone it is currently a 5 star show. It will be interesting to see how it translates in future after a cast change.

Seeking some seat advice: booking ahead for this as it's selling so well. I have a choice of front row stalls at £47.50, or front row of the second section of the circle (Row H) at £32.50. I don't know the Dominion well at all - any thoughts on which I should take?

PS: interesting to see Todaytix posters in Charing Cross station, advertising this as having £30 rush tickets. However they do not seem to have come into fruition yet...

I have delayed my comments here for the usual fear of criticism, but...........it really wasn't very good. The reaction to pretty awful entrances (Miranda/Vanessa's for example) generate a response which is unwarranted and baffling; she has done nothing! Why are they screaming? The "lead" (Andi) is wholly unlikeable and has been poorly directed in ending every one of her numbers in an overly expressive flourish to which the audience responds accordingly. Vanessa has little to do in Act 1 apart from spout pithy one liners and although has a better arc in Act 2, is disappointing in her "big" number". The constant hip thrusting, knowing over the shoulder look from the ensemble is a replacement for any real content. Mr Henry's number comes from nowhere and is equally misplaced. The songs are generic and sound similar and some of the "high fashions" questionable. I was disappointed.

Is he though? I would have thought that the film title alone would be the big draw. I imagine some people might not even know all that much about who Elton John is.

I’m still trying to collect my thoughts on this one. Saw it yesterday matinee and I’ve given it a 4 but I’m still not sure it deserves it. I came out having enjoyed myself more than I usually would for something in the 3/5 bracket but thoughts as per the below:

Performances - All were decent. Emily stole the show. Miranda was a different take that showed a touch more heart early on and I didn’t hate it. Nobody really has enough of an arc or actual dialogue to really give anything amazing.

Writing - It is the weakest spot for me. In some respects it felt like a VERY loyal version of the movie dialogue and did a good job of taking most key moments and putting them on stage while making it easy to understand for people not familiar with the movie. But equally everything was very light and there were holes in exposition that just made certain actions seem very random.

Music - Didn’t hate, didn’t love it. Some songs really stuck with me, some I’ve completely forgotten. None packed an emotional punch and Miranda’s big song in the second act fell very flat. I didn’t mind how a lot of the songs were staged and (as no choreography expert) thought it went well with the style. The most obvious thing for me was I found the song at the end of both acts an unusual one. They’re sung well but they don’t feel like they really represent any drama or jubilation.

Staging - What is everyone on about when they say this has money spent on it? If this is what we are classing as expensive these days, expectations really are dropping. A couple of nice moments but 60% of the show is in front of the same four walls. Apartment comes on, slides off, office slides on, slides off, apartment slides on etc. Also did they get a BOGOF on Eiffel Towers with Moulin Rouge. It’s all just fine, not tacky, not showy, very akin to Pretty Woman levels. And I can’t for the life of me work out what is causing the show stops!

You’ve obviously never worked with Vanessa Williams 🤣

On no planet is Elton John the draw for this.

The Devil Wears Prada is a beloved title for that millennial sweet spot of girls in their 20s/30s who want a prosecco fuelled night out with their mates.

This is the reason it’s selling so well.

A movie from years ago (Groundhog Day) is not a suitable comparison.