Vanessa Williams steps into Miranda Priestly's heels for 'Devil Wears Prada' musical
Gird your loins! Vanessa Williams is set to star as Miranda Priestly in "The Devil Wears Prada" musical on London's West End.
A video announcing the casting was shared Monday on Instagram by both Williams and the show's official social media account. The clip shows Williams walking into the offices of Runway magazine, tossing her things onto her assistant's desk, and spinning around in her desk chair to face the camera as she removes her sunglasses and delivers a devastating line.
"Don't just sit there. Buy tickets or...something," Williams demands, effortlessly embodying the role.
"Vanessa Williams IS Miranda Priestly. That's all," the musical's account shared in the caption, adding in another, "She's ready to rule the Runwayđź‘ ."
Williams' role was played in the 2006 movie by Meryl Streep, whose work earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. Coincidentally, this won't be the first time Williams and Streep have stepped into a role previously played by the other.
Williams played The Witch in the 2002 Broadway revival production of "Into the Woods," earning a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical. Streep went on to play the part in the 2014 film adaptation, scoring an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress.
Williams also famously played Wilhelmina Slater, a Miranda Priestly-like character, in the ABC sitcom "Ugly Betty." Slater was a former supermodel who rose to be editor-in-chief of MODE magazine and was known for her devilish snark and one-liners, much like Priestly.
"The Devil Wears Prada" musical struts into London's Dominion Theatre in October, directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell and featuring an original score from Elton John, lyrics by Shaina Taub, and a book by Kate Wetherhead.
