Mrs. Doubtfire – The Musical [CANCELLED] at Stephen Sondheim Theatre

In the wake of Robin Williams’ death, it can be tough to imagine anyone taking on the roles of developing his incredible films for the Broadway stage. But that’s exactly what Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell, and Wayne Kirkpatrick did when they set out to make Mrs Doubtfire – The Musical. If you have seen the original film, you might expect the stage performance to be more of the same. But when the creative crew set out to adjust it to the stage, they wanted to expand the plot-line and change the timing and pacing to better suit a live Broadway performance. That means songs had to be created, sets had to be designed, and most importantly, the right actors had to be found who could honor Robin Williams without attempting a beat-for-beat recreation. That’s why Mrs Doubtfire the musical succeeds on all fronts when they hired Rob McClure to take on the titular role. Rob McClure manages to take on a Brogue accent as Mrs Doubtfire without ever sounding like a pale copy of Williams. He also manages to capture Daniel Hillard’s desperation to be with his family, as well as his humor and humanity while making the character his own. When you see Mrs Doubtfire the Musical, you are seeing a classic story in a bold and thrilling new way.