Mrs. Doubtfire is now a musical, joining the likes of Mean Girls, Waitress, Back to the Future, Beetlejuice, The Color Purple, Pretty Woman, Groundhog Day, Legally Blonde, American Psycho and The Outsiders. This is a 21st century Broadway phenomenon: nonmusical movies adapted for the stage by composers and lyricists.
Their backers hope familiarity breeds box office, which isn’t always the case. But even these unsuccessful Broadway shows are hitting the road. At least audiences in Dubuque and Dallas know the original material, the reasoning goes. Featuring a cast of nonunion actors as it races across the continent, Mrs. Doubtfire is scheduled for five performances in three days as part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s Broadway series.
Melissa Campbell and Craig Allen Smith portray divorced parents in the touring Broadway musical Mrs. Doubtfire. What she doesn’t know is that it’s her ex-husband disguised as the family’s new Scottish nanny.
Joan Marcus
The original Robin Williams vehicle about a divorced actor who disguises himself as a Scottish nanny so he can spend time with his children was a big hit in 1993. The musical version, twice disrupted by the pandemic, lasted only a few months on Broadway, yet it’s on its second North American tour. The reviews have been mixed, critics crediting the structure and humor — with laugh lines lifted from the film — while calling the songs unmemorable.
News Roundups
Dec. 26-28 at Winspear Opera House. Tickets at attpac.org.
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