Sharp, smart and full of heart: ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ hits Broadway
This is a story of transformation, and not just in the physical sense
Mrs Doubtfire Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Broadway
The latest hit film to be transformed into a musical might appear to be a problematic project in 2021. While the 1993 film was a huge hit for the late Robin Williams, giving him ample opportunity to showcase his vast vocal prowess and comic skills, it mines humour from a main character who disguises himself as an elderly nanny with a vaguely Scottish accent so that he can spend more time with his three children after a judge awards custody to his estranged wife.
Certainly Tootsie, another show with a cross-dressing male lead, received some blowback when it got the musical-comedy treatment on Broadway in 2019. Should any similar criticisms emerge here, that would be a shame. This Mrs Doubtfire is sharp, smart and full of heart.
Add to that the fact that this adaptation, which has a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’farrell, and music and lyrics by Karey and brother Wayne Kirkpatrick, is rip-roaringly funny (this is the team that created a cheeky musical around Shakespeare with 2015’s brilliant Something Rotten!), and Broadway has a potential hit on its hands.
Mrs Doubtfire closely follows the movie’s plot. Out-of work- actor Daniel Hillard, here played by Rob Mcclure in an exhilarating, potentially starmaking performance, needs to earn money and prove that he’s a responsible adult to get joint custody. Sure, there’s madness in his method, but how harshly can you judge a father who wants to see more of his kids?
The title character’s look and voice have been faithfully replicated, and more importantly, there is an emphasis on this being a story of transformation in more than just the physical sense. Daniel becomes a better man after he disguises himself as a woman, and his former wife, Miranda (Jenn Gambatese), is able to talk frankly and calmly about her marital woes with him, instead of shouting, when she thinks she’s talking to Mrs Doubtfire.
Along with director Jerry Zaks, the creative team mostly succeed in delivering a crowd-pleasing musical. However, things get off to a rocky start as it scrambles to show Daniel behaving like a manic man-child whose teenage daughter displays more maturity than her dad. Also, the ending telegraphs its message of forgiveness and healing a little too bluntly.
In between, however, we have the pleasure of watching Mcclure, who, like Williams, is a master of physical and vocal transformation. He switches back and forth from Daniel to Mrs Doubtfire multiple times over the course of two and a half hours, often without leaving the stage, and frequently busts a move to Lorin Latarro’s exuberant choreography.
Highlights include a disco number, in which Daniel’s gay brother, Frank (Brad Oscar), and his husband, Andre (J Harrison Ghee), turn Daniel into Mrs Doubtfire. Then there’s the scene in which Daniel tries to learn to cook from a Youtube video that becomes a tap-dancing delight. Meanwhile, as Mrs Doubtfire, he raps and breakdances when he gets roped into becoming a plus-size model for Miranda’s clothing line. It’s a moment of sheer theatrical razzle dazzle.
But beneath the showmanship is the story of someone growing up and learning to appreciate love. No make-up, wigs or padding are needed to take heart in that.