by Anne-Louise Fortune
Mrs Doubtfire: The Musical is an adaptation of the 1993 classic cult movie renowned for the lead performance of Robin Williams. This stage version, which has already played across America and in Manchester, now debuts in the West End, no doubt hoping to achieve the same incredible success as the film. The musical focuses on Daniel Hillard (Gabriel Vick – The Invisible Woman, M. I. High), who finding himself unexpectedly divorced, and only allowed restricted access to his children, cheats his way into a role as his own children’s nanny, whilst dressed in disguise as the titular older Scots woman, Mrs Doubtfire.
Films from the ’90s don’t always hold up to scrutiny or a modern understanding of the different ways in which people live their lives, and this adaptation has attempted to deal with some of the more egregious stereotypes that were on display previously. The sometimes icy nature of Miranda (Laura Tebbutt – School of Rock, Guardians of the Galaxy 2), Daniel’s ex-wife, has been smoothed, and Frank (Cameron Blakeley – Jago and Lightfoot: Encore of the Scorchies), Daniel’s brother, now has a husband, reflecting America’s progress in relation to equal marriage legislation. The producer at the television station where Daniel works is now a woman, and some subplots have been adjusted more generally.
These attempts to modernise the narrative are, at some times, more successful than others. Everyone has smartphones, but TV programmes are still being made in a very traditional manner. Miranda’s self-named business is now fledgling, and focused on athleisure clothing for women of all ages and body types – a reference that is incredibly of the moment.
Whilst these attempts to modernise the setting are mostly successful, the attempt to cater to a British audience is more uneven. It’s known that Robin Williams often went off-script when making films, and the results of his extemporising often made the final edit of those movies. There were obviously moments in the Mrs Doubtfire movie when Willams ad-libbed character impersonations on set, but he always did so spontaneously and in moments where it felt natural. Here, those moments are obviously scripted, meaning that they feel somewhat forced. All the cultural references and character impersonations are of British figures, including King Charles and Boris Johnson, amongst others. This confuses the overall sense of world-building. We are very obviously in America, specifically, San Francisco, as indicated by the Golden Gate Bridge painted on the scenery and the frequent mentions of that city. It all just doesn’t quite make sense if you think about it for more than a few seconds.
Amongst the cast, there are some terrific performances and Gabriel Vick, as Daniel, is just superb, doing his best to step out of Williams’ shadow and make the role his own. This is a task assisted by some scenes that have been adapted significantly different enough from the movie to allow them to be their own moments. In particular, the ‘looping’ scene at the TV studios is a high moment in the first act. That act also ends on a glorious and highly memorable number, I’m Rockin’ Now, when you truly begin to see the various plot threads come together for the first time.
Also of note is the performance of veteran actor Ian Talbot (Doctor Who, Eugenius!) as Mr Jolly, in a small role in which he nevertheless endears himself. Lisa Mathieson (Groundhog Day, Spamalot), as an unnamed Flamenco Dancer, steals the middle of the second act in a song and dance number that embraces the comedic implications to the hilt, leading to the denouement of the whole show.
The technical elements are achieved with remarkable skill – Daniel’s transition into Mrs Doubtfire is stunning, both in its effectiveness and its speed. The show has also taken the unusual step of showing us the change at various points throughout the show, and the ‘trick’ remains remarkable, even when we can see how it’s being done. The staging is impressive, the choreography a nod to the old-school Broadway musicals of the classic era – all singing, all tap dancing, all remarkably high energy.
Ultimately, your engagement with Mrs Doubtfire: The Musical will depend on how you feel about farce, sometimes bordering on the embarrassing, and a plot that is, to be frank, at times wafer-thin. You’ll also need to suspend your disbelief about the size of the acting industry in San Francisco and Daniel’s inability to follow the most basic of instructions from his director. Daniel is not the most sympathetic of characters, as he fails to respect the parenting boundaries set by Miranda, lies to her, lies to the court-appointed social worker, and then lies to his children, even though his motivation is supposed to be that he wants to rebuild his relationship with them. Whether you can look past his often child-like behaviour, which threatens to destroy not only his own life but also that of his brother Frank and Frank’s husband Andre, as well as Miranda’s fledgling business, will also influence whether you embrace the overall silliness or not. We do also feel that we should give a small note of caution that the use of moderately bad language makes this production unsuitable for younger children.
Mrs Doubtfire: The Musical is a bold attempt to transfer an iconic classic to a different medium. The producers believe it’s a show about how families can look different but still all be valid, whereas it actually feels like its central message is about the importance of open and honest communication within relationships of all kinds. With some catchy musical numbers and some wonderful choreography and technical work, it’s easy to believe that this story, originally a Young Adult novel, was made for the stage rather than the silver screen. Ultimately, this is a dazzling confection designed to entertain rather than challenge, a goal it achieves successfully, albeit the show will probably fade from memory much quicker than the cult classic film whose appeal it leans on heavily.
