Director is thrilled to launch show in Plymouth

THE director of the new production of The Devil Wears Prada, which will be unveiled at Theatre Royal Plymouth next month, has revealed how he was invited by Elton John to get involved - and how he is pleased at opening away from the West End.

- ANDY PHILLIPS

Jerry Mitchell is a Tony-winning director and choreographer who has guided projects including Kinky Boots and Legally Blonde: The Musical, among a long list of credit, but it was a meeting with Elton John and David Furnish which led Mitchell to become involved in The Devil Wears Prada, which is co-produced by TRP and opens on July 6.

A favour for Pulitzer Prizewinning director and producer Kevin McCollum started the ball rolling, he told The Herald at the launch event at Mount Edgcumbe last Wednesday.

"Kevin McCollum asked me to look at this project," he said. "They had done a production in Chicago and they weren't sure it was right, so I went and just gave some notes, as I do with all my friends.

"A month later, he said Elton and David [Furnish] would like to meet you, so I went and met them, and after two hours, they basically said: 'Would you join us and help us to bring this to the UK? I said 'absolutely' and that was how it started."