Elton Johnis leveraging his musical prowess — and passion for fashion — forThe Devil Wears Prada: The Musical.
“It’s one of my favorite films and the subject matter in the film screams out for music, as well,” says John, 75. “But I just thought, ‘You have to have characters that you can write [songs] for, and you have to have a backdrop which can inspire you musically,’ and the film does.”
In the video, John performs snippets from the musical’s tracks “Dress Your Way Up,” “When a Legend Is Born” and, of course, “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Of “When a Legend Is Born,” he says, “The lyrics are so brilliant because it sounds like I’ve been to enough fashion shows in my life to know that it’s the excitement of when you see something new and you see something great, and you’re there and you can feel the excitement within the crowd and you know that something special has come. It’slike going to see a rock concert.”
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Elton John; poster forThe Devil Wears Prada(2006).Kevin Winter/Getty; Everett Collection
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Calling the score a “modern” one, John reveals he and his team have “written 20 songs so far” and that he has “enjoyed writing every single one.”
“All the characters [have] kind of got something to say, so it gives you great scope for writing,” he says. “You can write tongue-in-cheek numbers, you can write serious numbers, you can write a very romantic song, a very frivolous song.”
And he knewShaina Taubwas the perfect fit to help write the lyrics, as she was his “favorite” out of “three or four candidates” who were in the running.
“We got on like a house on fire from the very word ‘go,’ " says John. “She’s brilliant at bringing characters to life. She just knows how to do it.”
John goes on to praise other members of the show’s team including director Anna D. Shapiro, whom he calls “one of the most respectedTony-winning directors there are” and says has “so much enthusiasm” for the show.
Shaina Taub and Elton John.Courtesy of The Devil Wears Prada: The Musical
“Everyone involved so far has been so enthusiastic, and it’s been a dream,” theOscar-, Tony- and Grammy-winning artist says. “They’ll walk out elated.”
The Devil Wears Prada: The Musicalis playing from July 19 through Aug. 21 at Broadway in Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre. Tickets are on sale now atticketmaster.com.
source: people.com
