Vanessa Williams to play Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada musical

Vanessa Williams has been cast as formidable magazine editor Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada stage musical.

The Ugly Betty actress has signed up to play the terrifying editor-in-chief in Elton John's new musical adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel and the 2006 movie, in which Meryl Streep played Miranda.

"Bringing Miranda Priestly to life in the West End is an absolute dream come true. Gird your loins, folks," she said in a statement, referring to Stanley Tucci's iconic line in the film.

The Desperate Housewives actress shared a promo on Instagram in which she walks into the Runway office holding a mock-up of the magazine with her face on the cover. She sits down at her desk, whirls around in her chair, takes off her sunglasses and says, "Don't just sit there, buy tickets or something."

The show, much like the novel and movie, follows a journalist named Andy who finds herself sucked into the glamorous world of fashion when she gets hired to be Miranda's personal assistant as Runway magazine. Andy was played by Anne Hathaway in the film.

The musical features an original score from John, lyrics by singer-songwriter Shaina Taub and a book by Kate Wetherhead.

The production will open for a preview engagement at the Theatre Royal Plymouth on 9 July before transferring to London's Dominion theatre on 24 October.

Williams, 60, previously played the creative director of a magazine, Wilhelmina Slater, is in the TV show Ugly Betty. Her theatre credits include Into the Woods, The Trip to Bountiful and City of Angels, among others.