Music legend Elton John revealed Sunday that vision loss prevented him from fully viewing his new musical, “The Devil Wears Prada,” during its opening night at London’s Dominion Theatre.
“I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I have lost my eyesight,” John told the audience at the gala performance. “So it’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it, and, boy, it sounded good tonight.”
The 77-year-old composer, who wrote the musical’s score, disclosed in September that an infection had left him “with only limited vision in one eye.” Through social media, he explained his recovery has been “an extremely slow process and it will take some time before sight returns to the impacted eye.”
The new stage production, based on the 2006 film, stars Vanessa Williams as Miranda Priestly, the role originally portrayed by Meryl Streep. The opening night doubled as a fundraiser for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, drawing notable attendees including designer Donatella Versace and former Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who reportedly inspired the Priestly character.
The musical adapts the story of a young journalist navigating the demanding world of high-fashion magazine publishing. Wintour, attending the premiere, described the production as “entertaining.”
