Theater Review: ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ presents something new while bringing the nostalgia

“Mrs. Doubtfire” in Orlando

The Broadway tour of “Mrs. Doubtfire” has landed in Orlando (shortly following last month’s run of “Jagged Little Pill,” another ’90s adaptation), and Attractions Magazine was invited to check it out.

Much like the original movie, the “Mrs. Doubtfire” stage musical follows the story of Daniel, a chronically immature and underemployed voice actor who finds himself out of work and divorced when his much put upon wife decides she no longer can handle his childish ways. When his now ex-wife puts out a call for a nanny to help with the children, Daniel launches a desperate bid to remain in his kids’ lives by utilizing his talents as an actor (and his brother’s talents as a hair and makeup special effects artist) to create the character of the perfect Scottish nanny, Mrs. Doubtfire. Hilarity ensues as Daniel is forced into more and more outlandish situations to keep up the ruse while becoming a better person in spite of himself.

Differences Between the Movie and Broadway Show

“Mrs. Doubtfire” follows pretty closely to the original movie’s story, though a number of updates bring the narrative into modern times. These changes reflect more sensitivity to the trans community, as well as the sensibilities and limitations of live theatre. There’s also the matter of adding a bunch of songs to make it a musical.

Those familiar with the original movie will recognize the main beats and indeed find themselves anticipating lines and situations from the film which the play happily caters to, even when the script no longer contains the specific moments. For example, while the setup for Mrs. Doubtfire’s famous line “Help is on the way, dearie!” isn’t present in the stage show, the creators have still found a way to shoehorn that line in. This isn’t necessarily a good thing, as, while I believe the updates to be mostly solid choices, I often found myself not paying attention so much to the action as I was wondering how and when we might get to some of my favorite bits from the movie.

When considering the finer details of “Mrs. Doubtfire,” placing the story into modern day would seemingly come with its own set of challenges. How does Mrs. Doubtfire collect a paycheck with no records? Why did no one “google” the new nanny? However, these and other issues are glossed over in the show, and the transition to modern day doesn’t affect the main plot too much.

Additionally, I appreciate the show’s increased sensibilities towards the trans community, with many qualities from the original film slightly altered. Mrs. Doubtfire no longer dances to the song “Dude Looks Like a Lady,” no amorous bus driver hits on her, and the kids don’t learn the secret by seeing her using the restroom standing up. Ultimately, the removal of these moments do nothing to detract from the story and are quite welcome.

Confusing Sets, Impressive Prosthetics

Technically, the show is truly a mixed bag, with some impressive highs and baffling lows. During our performance, obvious technical flubs were on the low end, with only a few mic issues I specifically noticed.

In a confusing choice especially given today’s attitudes, some of the backdrops have a surreal aspect to them which caused them to resemble A.I.-generated art, as if someone gave Chat-GPT the prompt, “San Francisco houses.”

On the other hand, the technical aspects of Mrs. Doubtfire’s wig, face, and costume are particularly impressive. While the dad-to-nanny transformation never looks as good as it does in the movie — understandable given the frequency and speed of the changes, which often happen on stage — the effect works surprisingly well. As a former stagehand, I was particularly impressed with how the mask seamlessly came on and off without affecting the actor’s microphone placement, among other other things. We were sitting pretty close to the action and even from our vantage point, the prosthetics were convincing.

Embodying Robin Williams

The original “Mrs. Doubtfire” lives and dies on the performance of Robin Williams. The film is such a showcase of his talents and strengths that it’s hard to separate the character from Williams’ acting. As such, Rob McClure, in the title role, knocks it out of the park by embodying the spirit of Williams without directly impersonating him.

Indeed, without watching Robin Williams perform the part, it’s much easier to recognize the constant impressions and wild energy of the character as coping mechanisms that wear thin on the other adults around him. McClure’s Daniel can’t avoid making the joke in every situation presented to him, often to his own detriment. McClure manages to both honor the original performance of Williams while still grounding the character and finding a way to make it his own.

My theater companion compared the character more to Beetlejuice (a role McClure also played), and I could see where she was coming from. Other standouts in the cast include the comic-relief gay uncles, played by Nik Alexander and Aaron Kaburick, who always bring the laughs when onstage.

Musical Aspects Unnecessary

I’ve not spoken much here about the music because, honestly, I’m less than 24 hours from seeing the show and I can’t really remember any of the songs. Nothing has stuck in my head and made me want to rush out and purchase the soundtrack. This is a show that definitely deserves a place in American theater, but the musical aspects were really unnecessary to me.

Where a movie like “Legally Blonde” benefits from the addition of songs, “Mrs. Doubtfire” doesn’t need them and gets dragged down by them. Looking back over the song list, the only one that really sounds familiar is “What the Hell,” due to the provocative title (and being sung by the kids). Otherwise the music was mostly forgettable and at best didn’t detract from the show going on around it.

“Mrs. Doubtfire” Broadway Tour Tickets

Ultimately, “Mrs. Doubtfire” the musical is an enjoyable show that trades hard on the film’s place in pop-culture history while trying to do something a little different, to more or less success. While the show isn’t life-changing or anything, it’s still a very enjoyable evening of theater that pays homage to its history and updates many of the parts our society would rather leave in the past.

The “Mrs. Doubtfire” Broadway tour is running now through April 28, 2024 at the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, Fla. before continuing its nationwide tour. For more information or to find a tour stop near you, visit MrsDoubtfireBroadway.com/tour.

Previously this Season at Dr. Phillips Center

Earlier this season, we reviewed the Orlando residencies of touring productions “Jagged Little Pill,” “Aladdin,” and “Funny Girl.” Enjoy reading them in our Attractions Magazine archives.