‘Mrs Doubtfire’, the hit 1993 Robin Williams comedy about a divorced dad who disguises himself as his kids’ new nanny, has long seemed like The Sort Of Film that would one day get turned into a musical (essentially the fate of every successful comedy movie ever made).
And thus it proved in March 9, 2020, when – after years in development – Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell’s adaptation began Broadway previews, only to shut down a couple of weeks later due to the pandemic. An extremely troubled run eventually followed: it only officially opened last December, and went on hiatus at the start of this year due to omicron before shutting in April (Broadway run pictured).
Might it get a shot at redemption with a UK run in rather more favourable Covid conditions? We’ll see! After recent tryouts in Manchester, ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ will transfer to the Shaftesbury Theatre in May next year. Relative unknown Gabriel Vick will star as Daniel Hillard, the divorced, out-of-work actor dad who poses as Scottish nanny Euphonia Doubtfire in order to get close to his kids.
The musical received some stick for its rather old-fashioned depiction of cross-dressing; whether this will be as much of a problem in panto-loving Britain remains to be see. But certainly it’s a big, glitzy Broadway musical, something we’ve been in short supply of lately.
‘Mrs Doubtfire’ is at the Shaftesbury Theatre, booking May 12 2023 to Jan 13 2024. Tickets are on sale now.
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