On Sept. 17, ASU Gammage held the opening night for its newest musical, “Mrs. Doubtfire.” The production is currently on a national tour and is only spending six nights at the Tempe venue, followed by a quick transition to its next stop in Costa Mesa, California.
Based on the film by the same name and the novel “Madame Doubtfire,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” is an uplifting and compassionate musical comedy that brings joy when we need it most.
Rob McClure reprised his Tony-nominated performance in the role of Daniel Hillard, who dons the “Mrs. Doubtfire” disguise. He was nominated for the award in 2022 after his performance in the Broadway production of the role.
Other former Broadway performers in the touring production of the show include Catherine Bruell (Miranda Hillard), Nik Alexander (Andre Mayem) and Ian Liberto (Swing).
These actors did exactly what they sought to do through their performances in the heartfelt comedy musical, as laughter and ‘aww’s’ could be heard from the audience throughout the night.
The show’s writers, Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick, maintained many of the funniest scenes and lines from the original 1993 film. This made sure that the musical was just as funny as most people remember the movie to be. It seems they abided by the rule of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’
Many songs in the musical upheld its upbeat energy with catchy tunes and lively dance breaks, including numbers like “Make Me a Woman,” “Easy Peasy” and “The Shape of Things to Come.”
The musical combines a lighthearted and comical mood with serious undertones, exploring themes of family, identity, and love. Its central focus is on divorce and its impact on both parents and children.
After previews that were cut short by COVID-19, “Mrs. Doubtfire” only lived back on Broadway for a little over a month before its closing in May 2022. The comedy musical is just what the world needed and it is finally getting the recognition that it deserves with a national tour and a spot in London's Shaftesbury Theatre until 2025.
Musicals centered around movies are easy to get wrong; there is danger associated with both sides of the writing spectrum: originality and replication. It cannot be so original that it deviates too far from the original source material, but not so similar either that you would be fine just watching the movie. In these reviewers' opinion, this musical brilliantly danced down the middle, and is a must-see even if you are not familiar with the movie it is based on.