The Devil Wears Prada Review

Upon stepping into the Dominion Theatre, the mood was electric. I took my seats to a glitzy sign with the Iconic branding of “The Devil Wears Prada” in front of me. Fashion show style music is pumping and the stage is highlighted by studio lights. Then things get a bit weird. Amy Di Bartolomeo who plays Emily in this movie musical struts down the aisle and talks directly to the audience instructing them to take a photo of her and then to turn the phones off. This panto-esque start to the show is one of the many odd choices that made this musical a real mixed bag for me.

The Devil Wears Prada has been playing at the Dominion Theatre since October last year and it’s recently extended into 2026 so by all means, the show is proving to be popular. Based on the film starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada follows Andy. She’s a naive, aspiring journalist who secures the highly coveted job of 2nd assistant to Amanda Priestly, The Editor in Chief at Runway Magazine.

I have to say, as movie musicals go, this one really does what it says on the tin. The story follows the plot of the movie almost exactly minus Andreas' friendship group who she lets down as well as her boyfriend as she becomes sucked into the world of fashion and pleasing her new demanding boss.

Book your theatre tickets for The Devil Wears Prada here with London Box Office.

Emmy nominated singer and actress Vanessa Williams plays Amanda Priestly in this production and my goodness, she is such a perfect casting for this role. She looks super glamorous, her presence on stage is magnetic and she plays the part so well. No doubt she has drawn from her experience as a similar character on the hit TV show Ugly Betty. She really nails the commanding and cut throat woman audiences are expecting for this role. However, I can’t help but feel she wasn’t utilized to her full potential. The songs written for Miranda are so basic, doing nothing to showcase Williams' vocal power. Of course the role wasn't written for Williams (even though it felt like it) but Miranda’s character is strong and powerful and her numbers don't reflect those characteristics.

I was fortunate enough to watch a cover in the role of the leading lady tonight. Olivia Saunders is the first cover for Andy and I couldn’t believe she wasn’t the lead full time. She owned that stage with the confidence and talent of someone rocking that role 8 shows a week. Her vocal technique, tone and power was phenomenal. What’s more, her portrayal of Andy was truly hers and interesting. I felt like it gave the musical more depth as we saw her character grow and change in a truthful way.

Amy Di Bartolomeo who played Emily, Amanda’s painfully loyal 1st assistant. Bartolomeo’s portrayal of Emily was funny and again truthful. In musical theatre, this can be really tough to achieve but she was such a recognisable character. She was another vocal powerhouse in the show, full of impressive riffs and a huge range. She opens Act 2 with the song ‘Bon Voyage’ which had all the audience on her side and chuckling along.

So the show's 3 leading ladies were undoubtedly fire but let’s talk ensemble. I honestly think the show would have been the same quality if they weren’t there. At first the lack of smiles on stage I thought was a choice - This is the world of fashion - smiling causes wrinkles. But as the show went on, only one or two members of the ensemble looked like they actually wanted to be there. It seems their sole purpose was to stand and model the clothes which I would have bought into had they put any energy into the extremely basic choreography of this show. Their movements were lackluster, weak and often unsynchronised which made them come across as lazy and unrehearsed rather than eager fashion wannabes.

Elton John wrote the music for this show and they were pleasant enough but pretty forgettable. That being said, they slotted in nicely to scenes and nicely drove the story onwards. The placements of the songs however, were strange. The penultimate Act 1 ensemble number ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ featured beautiful costumes and a powerful ending which felt like a natural Act 1 closer. However both act 1 and act 2 ended with solo, belty ballads from Andrea. I think the idea was to reflect the characters growth and make it more of a coming of age story but it left things feeling a bit flat and unfinished.

Jerry Mitchell directed and choreographed this production. After his success on directing and choreographing Kinky Boots, his work on this production really falls short. Both acts opened with bizarre panto style openings which seemed at odds with the rest of the show. There was also a lot of use of the aisles as entrances and exits. The idea was overused making it very gimmicky. The auditorium was used many times for entrances which was odd because the Dominion Theatre is huge and there was often plenty of space on the stage. Instead of being immersive it seemed amatuer and distracting. Furthermore, Mitchell’s choreography was so bland. Most of the choreography is strutting around the stage and posing. Again, it makes sense for one or two numbers but it quickly becomes unimaginative and boring. Especially from the choreographer of Kinky Boots, he could have utilized much more interesting styles such as voguing, whacking, commercial dance even all which would have made stylistic sense and not encouraged the ensembles perceived boredom.

Lastly, let's talk about the set and costume.The set by Tim Hatley is sophisticated and functional. His sets for Paris are ornate and beautiful. Whilst Andrea and her boyfriend's apartment is super cosy and comes together nicely. Gregg Barnes created the costumes for this show and it’s one of the most impressive things about it. It certainly looks like every costume has walked straight off a magazine and onto stage with gorgeous and over the top head pieces even, every detail is spoken. The stand out costumes are for the ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and ‘Paris, City of Dreams’ which are breathtaking and really elevate the piece on stage.

Overall, the show is a good movie musical and the 3 leading ladies really do the heavy lifting for The Devil Wears Prada. Although the songs and choreography fall flat, Bartolomeo, Williams and Saunders singing abilities and great characterisation alongside the visual aspects of the production make the show what it is. A trusty movie musical and a fun night out with the girls and a glass (or two) of wine.

Read more Theatre reviews like The Devil Wears Prada review in our reviews section.

Book tickets for The Devil Wears Prada here with London Box Office.

This blog was written by our guest reviewer Hannah Fayers-Short.