‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ has unexpected heart and humor, dearie
Confession time: I have never seen “Mrs. Doubtfire,” the hit comedy film in which Robin Williams’ divorced dad character dresses up like an elderly Scottish nanny and tricks his ex-wife (played by Sally Field) into hiring him, just so he can spend more time with his children.
That Cliff ’s Notes description of the plot never inspired me to check out the film, which was released in 1993. (I know, where have I been?)
A staged musical version of the movie debuted on Broadway in 2021, and it’s now touring the country. As seen at a stop in Tampa this month, maybe I’ve been missing out all these years. Or maybe a Broadway musical is just a great way to mix so much humor with so much heart.
Unexpectedly, the touring production of “Mrs. Doubtfire” charmed me, from Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick’s tuneful songs to Rob McClure’s nicely layered performance as a father who knows he has messed up but wants to be there for his kids.
McClure also starred on Broadway in the role, and I’m sure there will be movie buffs who will find him perhaps a pale imitation of Williams. But, knowing what I know of Williams’ work in general, it seemed to me that McClure smartly pays tribute to Williams while making the role his own. Or rather, the two roles. McClure starts out as Daniel Hillard, who loses custody of his children in a not truly nasty but also not exactly cordial divorce with Miranda, who has long felt unheard by her responsibility-challenged spouse.
When Daniel finds out Miranda is hiring a nanny for the three kids he longs to see, he on-the-spot creates the fictitious Mrs. Doubtfire and applies for the position. Thanks to help from his brother and brother’s husband, who are professional costumers and makeup artists, Daniel is transformed into the grandmotherly Mrs. D, gets the job and becomes part of the family.
Some of those transformations happen right onstage, and there is a measure of fun in watching McClure jump in and out of the spot-on and cleverly designed padded costume (by Catherine Zuber) and gray-haired wig (by David Brian Brown) in a succession of quick changes.
Critically, McClure is likable both as screwup Daniel and as no-nonsense Mrs. Doubtfire. In fact, just about everyone radiates warmth. As Miranda, Maggie Lakis is understandably a little more frayed around the edges but her chilliness is understandable and Lakis comes up a winner in an emotional and big-voiced “Let Go,” an Act 2 highlight.
Leo Roberts takes on the movie’s Pierce Brosnan role of Miranda’s new, seemingly perfectly hunky boyfriend, and he has the baritone and biceps to fit the bill. Even he is rootable in the smart way Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell have constructed the musical’s book.
Not everything works. A running gag about shouting when lying gets old fast. In fact, director Jerry Zaks lets several characters — and not the children, I might add — shout too much. (Loud is not synonymous with funny, after all.)
But then there are unexpected delights in the show’s big numbers, the kind of silliness that makes a musical comedy a musical comedy: A daffy fashion parade of random celebrities, a flamboyant tango number, a posse of chefs emerging from YouTube to tap dance while teaching how to spatchcock a chicken. (That’s not relevant to the plot; I just wanted to get “tap dance” and “spatchcock” in the same sentence; when will that ever happen again?)
Yes, Internet cooking tutorials are part of the story, which clearly has been updated (and all for the best) since the film’s release. Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and Siri all get name-dropped at one point or another. I’ve written about Orlando’s Axel Bernard Rimmele, who plays one of the three children in the cast; unfortunately, his alternate was onstage at my performance. But all three children I saw were talented and naturally funny, without going for sitcom “too cute” or precociousness.
Their comic but appealingly sincere number “What the Hell” besides being well-performed also wisely lets the youngsters share their point of view with the audience, including children who may be experiencing the same feelings.
It’s actually unfair to call all three children. Responsible eldest daughter Lydia, who “feels older than Dad,” is played by a young woman — who also has a local connection. Plant City native Giselle Gutierrez, a sophomore at the University of Central Florida, beautifully succeeds in making her teen character seem legitimately angry and not stagey angry. She brings a lovely realness of emotion in her singing, as well, and a voice that fits both her character and the songs.
As with many musicals, the second act lacks the nonstop zing of the first, as the plot has to be dealt with, but even the ending you see coming from a mile away can’t diminish the show’s obvious but not heavy-handed messages: Families come in many varieties, change can result in something better, and always look for love to lead the way.
‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’
Length: 2:35, including intermission
Where: Walt Disney Theater at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave. in Orlando When: April 23-28
Cost: $45 and up
Info: drphillipscenter.org