Tony Award-winning director Anna D. Shapiro has been tapped to direct the forthcoming musical production of The Devil Wears Prada. The new piece, with a book by Paul Rudnick, music by Sir Elton John, and lyrics by Shaina Taub, has yet to announce a production schedule or opening date. Additional news to be forthcoming at a later time.
“I am truly honored to be a part of this incredible project. Working with Shaina, Paul, and Sir Elton has already proven to be one of the great thrills of my career, and I look forward to bringing Lauren’s beloved world to the stage.”
Shapiro, who is the artistic director of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, was heralded for her deft direction of Tracy Lett’s play August: Osage County. She won a 2008 Tony Award for its Broadway berth. Shapiro was also Tony-nominated in 2011 for her direction of The Motherfucker with the Hat. Other productions include The Minutes, Visiting Edna, Mary Page Marlowe, and Man from Nebraska. Additional Broadway credits include Larry David’s Fish in the Dark, Straight White Men, Of Mice and Men, and the 2014 production of This Is Our Youth.
Ms. Shapiro offered her reactions to joining The Devil Wears Prada team, “I am truly honored to be a part of this incredible project. Working with Shaina, Paul, and Sir Elton has already proven to be one of the great thrills of my career, and I look forward to bringing Lauren’s beloved world to the stage.”
The Devil Wears Prada draws its inspiration Lauren Weisberger’s best-selling 2003 novel and the 2006 film from Fox 2000 Pictures. The film, which starred Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep, was released in cinemas in June 2006 and went on to gross $326 million worldwide. Weisberger’s novel spent six months on The New York Times bestseller list.
“The Devil Wears Prada is the story of Andy Sachs, a smart, curious, and innocent young woman making her way in the world. Andy’s a few years out of college and, while she’s determined to become a serious writer, she’s waylaid into a job as a second assistant at Runway, the world’s foremost fashion magazine. Andy ends up working for Miranda Priestly, Runway‘s legendary, notorious Editor-in-Chief. Miranda is brilliant, impossibly demanding, and merciless. She introduces Andy to 15-hour workdays, the glory and complexity of fashion, and the dazzle of Fashion Week in Paris. Along the way, Andy finds friendship, romance, and a killer wardrobe. She also begins to grow up and decide exactly who she truly wants to be, amid the many temptations of a high-octane Manhattan career. The Devil Wears Prada explores a world that’s passionate, comic, and touching. As Andy discovers, it’s a great ride.”
Mark Robinson is the author of the two-volume encyclopedia The World of Musicals, The Disney Song Encyclopedia, and The Encyclopedia of Television Theme Songs. He maintains a theater and entertainment blog at markrobinsonwrites.com.