Vanessa Williams has been painting the West End red with her portrayal of Miranda Priestly, as she continues to star as the iconic role in Devil Wears Prada the Musical. As filming of the highly anticipated movie sequel is well underway, Vanessa revealed how she approached creating the character for the musical production as she stepped into the shoes of Meryl Streep who starred as the role for the famous 2006 film. Talking at the launch of the cast album which comes out on Friday, the former Ugly Betty star said: "I'm so happy to bring Miranda to life. It's my own spin, and I'm sure you'll enjoy what I bring, because it's different.
Honouring her predecessor, Meryl, she said: "Meryl streep who I've been a fan of since I was in high school - I studied French Lieutenant's Woman, Sophie's Choice - she is the epitome. So I didn't approach the character Miranda as in, how am I going to do Meryl? I wanted to say, how am I going to do me as Miranda Priestly in London to create a role.
Jerry gave the opportunity to create the role, to make nuances and choices. "And we got a chance to, with Kevin's help as well, to say 'how do we break down the script and make our own?' How can we bring what we do best and make the show our own? And that's the lovely thing about being able to create an original role on the West End. It's been my honour to have this incredible team and sing on this album."
Elton's influence
The evening, which was hosted at Tattu in Tottenham Court Road, also saw the attendance of David Furnish, Elton John's producer husband. The Rocket Man hitmaker is the brains behind the music of the dazzling new show, which also stars Matt Henry. "It's been one of my favourite films of the last 20 years, so when the conversation came up about me writing the music for the stage version, it was an absolute no-brainer. I'm always looking forward, never backwards, so it absolutely had to be a modern, contemporary score," Elton said. Adding: "The best musicals leave people with a joyous feeling, and that's completely how I felt writing this. 'It has been wonderful to see the response & success of the stage show and hearing the fantastic reactions to the songs."