In 1993, Robin Williams made what would become his legacy movie to the world, a hilarious gender-bending romp about an unemployed actor going through a bitter divorce who in desperation disguises himself as an elderly Scottish housekeeper to become his children’s afterschool nanny when the court system fails him and denies him joint custody. Williams was brilliant and his usual off-the-cuff adlibs ingrained him into the role so tightly that it would be hard to imagine the story without his one-of-a-kind brand of unchained humor. Who could possibly replace Robin Williams in the dual role.
Naysayers, run to the Hippodrome theatre this week for the answer. Rob McClure, who originated the role in the 2022 musical (music & lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick, book by Karey Kirkpatrick & John O’Farrell) on Broadway and we are incredibly lucky to have tour with the show, is the more than worthy stage successor to fill Euphegenia Doubtfire’s orthopedic shoes.
Stage adaptations of popular movies are always chancy. Some, like The Producers or Saturday Night Fever, stick so rigorously to the screenplay that it feels like you’re just watching the movie on stage. Others, like Tootsie or Some Like It Hot, veer so drastically from the source or force agendas into them that they are barely recognizable beyond a shared title. A few, like Legally Blonde and Mean Girls, find a way to adapt the material to better flow on stage and reinterpret the material for a new medium. Fortunately, Kirkpatrick & O’Farrell found a perfect way to hit that middle ground. All the iconic moments of the film—the parade of options for disguises, the whipped cream facial, the scorched bosoms in a cooking mishap, the restaurant shenanigans that end the charade, even the “Dude Looks Like a Lady” vacuuming montage—are all there but reorganized and presented in clever ways to give McClure room to make this Mrs. Doubtfire his own. The movie was a bit of a landmark for its rare portrayal of divorce from the husband’s point of view, but Kirkpatrick & O’Farrell expand on that, exploring issues outside the movie, most importantly the feelings of the children stuck in the middle of the divorce. At one critical point oldest daughter Lydia (Giselle Gutierrez) voices her frustrations with her father’s charade, lamenting “It’s not fair, you get to see us, but we don’t get to see you.”
And for those in a hurry to buy tickets (I’d advise it) you can stop reading here after a glowing review of McClure’s work, because, taking nothing away from all the other many wonderful reasons to see this show, Rob McClure (Something’s Rotten, Beetlejuice, Spamalot at the Kennedy Center) is the definitive one. While not quite Robin William’s tsunami of comic energy, he is at least a high-level tropical storm Euphegenia, which is OK because the worst thing he could do is copy Williams and fall short. Like the book, he salutes the best of Williams’ classic moments, but makes them his own in his own hysterical way. He sings, he dances (his recreation of the “Dude Looks Like a Lady” vacuum dance is perfection), he does impressions and voices, but mostly he trusts his own impeccable comic instincts and delivers a hilarious yet touching performance. Like Williams in the movie and Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, his Daniel Hillard and Mrs. Doubtfire are two distinct characters, not just a guy and that guy in drag. His Doubtfire is smarter, and willing to learn how to work within the system that is stacked against Daniel. One can only wonder how many of McClure’s numerous comic bits are, like Williams, his own ad libs. If not, further praise to McClure for making them seem so organic.
The Hillard kids are great and excel as a trio as well as within their solo comic moments. Gutierrez shines in her professional debut as put-upon oldest daughter Lydia, the remaining glue that holds the fragments of her broken family together, at times doing the job of both absent parents. Cody Braverman (Leopoldstadt), middle son Christopher at this performance, has great moments, the best of which is his manic confusion when he discovers Mrs. Doubtfire in half-disguise. And Emmerson Mae Chan in her national tour debut is flat out adorable (a word I use sparingly pertaining to child actors, but she is downright precious) as younger daughter Natalie at this performance. Their trio “What the Hell”, where they question their parents’ actions as well as their own imagined contributions to the divorce, is borderline heartbreaking.
Aaron Kaburick and Nik Alexander provide big laughs in expanded roles as Daniel’s brother Frank and his husband Andre Mayen, the hair and makeup/fashion double team that create the look for Daniel’s double life. The segment results in the disco extravaganza “Make Me a Woman”, one of the Fitzpatricks’ many clever upgrades for the stage. Sampling styles from Jackie O., Princess Di, Princess Grace, and even Cher, to more realistic ideals like Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Thatcher, and Julia Child, the resulting costume and dance spectacular is a highlight of the first act, resembling a best-of, all-star finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Romelda Teron Benjamin gives strong support as the no-nonsense, by-the-books social worker assigned to Daniel’s case and provides a worthy foil for his ensuing hijinks. David Hibbard deserves mention for the delightful track of comic cameo characters he portrays including the court judge, a decrepit kids’ TV show host named Uncle Jolly, and an inspired internet ad.
In a clever twist on art defying real life, McClure gets to divorce his real-life wife Maggie Lakis as Miranda Hillard 8 shows a week. Sad to say, Lakis falls victim to the one thing Kirkpatrick and O’Farrell can’t seem to improve upon the screenplay—the stereotypical portrayal of the bitter ex-wife who, despite all her protestations otherwise, uses “the best interest of the children” as a flimsy excuse to hurt the man who fell short of her expectations. To be clear, this is 100% the material’s fault. Lakis is an extremely talented actor with a strong voice (unfortunately the authors’ attempt to soften her with a second act number rationally explaining her hurtful experiences with Daniel to an attentive Mrs. Doubtfire, “Let Go”, does her more harm than good, not only because it is too little too late, but as a ballad in a heretofore lively, energetic, and comic score, it brings the momentum of the show to a screeching halt, unintentionally reinforcing the character as a chronic killjoy). Again, I want to make it clear it is no fault of Lakis. Even America’s Sweetheart Sally Field fell victim to the character in the film. If you can’t make Field at her prime likeable, what chance does any other actor have? Benjamin’s social worker seems like the villain of the piece, but she is merely doing her job, based on facts presented by the real stand-in villain, Miranda Hillard, in sheer retaliation, which makes her hard to sympathize with. But in Lakis’ defense, I give her star credit for taking one for the team to make the show brighter and funnier at her character’s expense. Again, Lakis is an incredibly talented actor who gives a wonderful performance, just in an utterly thankless role.
Leo Roberts as Stuart Dunmire, Miranda’s new business partner and love interest, somehow fares better in this version. Despite being the man she brings home to the children far too soon and accelerates his role in the family way too fast (which again both can be attributed solely to Miranda’s bad, selfish decisions, hardly “in the best interest of the children”; the story is totally stacked against her), he seems less predatory here, perhaps because the Fitzpatricks turn his verbal sparring with Mrs. Doubtfire into “Big Fat No”, an comic duet set at the gym with a backup group of buff admiring gymrats. In the authors’ hands here, he comes across more like an aggressive bystander than Pierce Brosnan did as a co-conspirator. The fact that he possesses a glorious Golden Age Broadway baritone and gets to show off all his manly attributes in spandex gymwear probably works to his advantage too.
The Kirkpatricks’ score may not have a memorable tune you leave humming, but it’s a fun, energetic score that moves the show along at McClure’s breakneck pace. There are many very clever additions. Besides the above-mentioned disco inferno “Make Me a Woman”, they add a creative update to the montage where Daniel watches TV shows to learn how to cook. In their version, he musically appeals to Siri, who provides a series of Tik Tok ready I cooks creating overlapping mayhem which results in a healthy meal. The classic “Dude Looks Like a Lady” housecleaning montage is mounted under a mock-Aerosmith “I’m Rockin’ Now” which closes the first act bridging the success of Daniel’s masquerade with the dilemma of the first reveal to Lydia and Christopher. But their biggest accomplishment is compacting and setting the final act set piece, where Daniel schedules an invite to Miranda’s birthday dinner as Doubtfire and a business meeting to pitch a potential career changing TV show as Daniel in the same restaurant, to a musical act by a flamenco dancer singing a fiery paso doble entitled “He Lied to Me”. The sequence works fluidly and thematically on so many levels with both humor and structure.
David Korins’ scenic design provides a serviceable set that transforms fast and fluidly as these screenplay-to-stage adaptations tend to require. Lighting Designer Philip S. Rosenberg adds a variety of light effects that distinctly lay out different locales, cranking things up for the production numbers. Brian Ronan and Craig Cassidy provide clear and balanced sound bouncing from scene to song to scene within songs. They excel in “So Long Mr. Jolly” where Daniel plays with reverberating sound equipment at the TV studio and shows his prowess mixing live singing and rapping with sampled reverb recordings. Their effort is spectacular here.
Costume Designer Catherine Zuber drafts up a plot that is both perfectly influenced by the film but adds great additional touches, most effectively in the various celebrity looks in “Make Me a Woman”. She also deserves massive credit for engineering the simple-looking but elaborate breakaway sweater/dress/skirt and blouse ensembles and jeans-and-shirt ensembles she designed for McClure to rapidly and effortlessly transform back and forth between his personas, many times right on stage. Her transformation effects were the design highlight of the show. There is no make-up design listed in the touring credits, which forced me to the internet to uncover that Zuber’s most important assist on the show was Broadway makeup designer Tommy Kurzman’s lifelike silicone facial masks that McClure wears to transform him into the title character, which seem a little awkward at first, but that may have been my personal uncanny valley syndrome kicking in. (In my defense, his kids also found it incredibly hard to process, telling him “You look like Grandma crossed with Shrek”.) But by the end of the show they were Mrs. Doubtfire, falling into place with remarkable ease.
Choreographer Lorin Latarro provides thrilling moves for many demanding numbers. From the Solid Gold disco fever of “Make Me a Woman” to the multi-layered internet cooking lesson “Easy Peasy” and the flamenco dance “He Lied to Me” which fronts the big reveal, Latarro provides slick, tight choreography with an always present wink, incorporating humor as the subject matter calls for it. Add in the housecleaning segment from the movie, and a chorus line of Riverdancing Mrs. Doubtfires in a nightmare montage, and Latarro pretty much shows her massive range and enormous dance vocabulary all in 2 ½ hours.
Credit Director Jerry Zaks as the captain who helms this juggernaut which could easily become a runaway train in the wrong hands. Zaks has an illustrious career as a broadways director dating back to the 80s leading many star-studded revival vehicles from the Patti LuPone Anything Goes and the Nathan Lane/Faith Prince Guys & Dolls to the recent Bette Midler Hello Dolly and the Hugh Jackman The Music Man. He knows how to tell a good story and handle a good star to best feature them, and McClure and company profit from his smart leadership. He coordinates swift and fluid movement of the plot through numerous locations yet knows when to slow down just enough to allow an emotional moment to hit or to feature McClure’s comic antics, all of which land.
I cannot state enough what a wonderful surprise this musical was. Forget what you heard from the pompous New York critics and the snooty “no more musicals from movies” theatrical snobs. Falling harder than ever on the mission of Mark on the Arts, “THE PLACE for thoughtful, frank reviews….you’ve come to expect and trust” No agendas. No ties. No nonsense. Just the truth. And the truth is Mrs. Doubtfire is a bright and funny family musical that should not be missed, So hurry along, poppets, get those tickets today while you still can. Missing out on this fabulous and funny treat with a great message about family would hurt more than a run-by fruiting.
All photos courtesy of Joan Marcus
The show runs 2 hours and 30 minutes with a 15 minute intermission.
Mrs. Doubtfire, runs through February 4, 2024, at the Hippodrome Theatre in the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at 12 N. Eutaw Street. For tickets call the box office at 410.752.7444. or purchase them online