Sir Elton John to create The Devil Wears Prada stage adaptation at Plymouth's Theatre Royal

British music legend Sir Elton John will be spending time in Plymouth next year to work on a stage adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada.

Plymouth's Theatre Royal is working with the music megastar to bring the 2006 film starring Meryl Streep to the stage.

It is part of the theatre's plan to produce more of its own work and will see The Devil Wears Prada show built in Plymouth over the course of 10 weeks.

It will then have a four-week run at the Theatre Royal before transferring to London's West End.

Sir Elton will not appear in the show but he is due to spend time in the city during its production. The cast of the show is yet to be revealed.

Theatre Royal chief executive James MacKenzie-Blackman said that the new production marks the beginning of the theatre's plan to prioritise self-produced shows.

“This will be the start of us doing a lot more of our own work,” Mr MacKenzie-Blackman told Plymouth City Council after sealing the deal. 

He added it’s important that carpenters, welders and electricians are given opportunities to work in the creative industry in Plymouth if they don’t want to work at the Dockyard or Princess Yachts.

Sir Elton’s adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada was originally due to premiere in Chicago in 2019. It had a limited run there for about a month in 2022, but Sir Elton later said the show wasn’t ready and it would take about a year to come together. 

The Theatre Royal had a number of hits when it previously co-produced shows, the most notable being Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, which opened in 1989 and has gone on to be performed more than 23,000 times around the world. 

As well as working with producers to create its own shows, Mr Mackenzie-Blackman said that the Theatre Royal is also reviewing its work with children, young people and families.

He emphasised the theatre's commitment to supporting Plymouth City Council with delivering its own targets helping children and raising ambitions.

“We are proud to be based in Plymouth,” said Mr Mackenzie-Blackamn. "We will continue to be as ambitious as we can not only for our own organisation but how creativity feeds into the lives of all the residents of Plymouth.”

Credit: Alison Stephenson, Local Democracy Reporting Service