Craig Allen Smith dominates the stage as Mrs. Doubtfire. (Boston in Broadway)
By Jessica Lynch
BOSTON – “Mrs. Doubtfire” is a classic movie starring the beloved Robin Williams. First hitting theaters in 1993, it currently has a 71 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As with many movies, an adaptation has just been created for the stage. Yes, Work Light Productions turned “Mrs. Doubtfire” into a musical, but this might be a surprise for skeptics: It’s not totally abysmal. “Mrs. Doubtfire the Musical Comedy” graced Boston’s Emerson Colonial Theater’s stage from Sept. 9 through Sept. 21.
The plot of “Mrs. Doubtfire” the musical was identical to the movie. Daniel Hillard (Craig Allen Smith) finds himself at an all-time low after his wife Miranda (Melissa Campbell) asks him for a divorce on grounds of his immature nature and irresponsibility, particularly with their kids, Lydia (Alanis Sophia), Christopher (Chance Challen/Theodore Lowenstein), and Natalie (Vivian Atencio/Ava Rose Doty).
The divorce court judge (Scott Taylor-Cole) orders that Daniel is only permitted see his kids once per week until a follow up hearing in three months, where he will have to prove that he has a stable job and suitable living conditions for him and the children. The judge assigns Daniel a case worker, Wanda Sellner (Kennedy V. Jackson), to oversee his progress. If Daniel can meet the judge’s expectations, then he will be granted equal custody.
When Miranda comes to pick up their kids from Daniel one night, she expresses the need to hire a nanny as her clothing business recently expanded leaving her schedule very full. Daniel is inspired to use his niche talent for voice acting and creating funny characters to become the nanny Miranda needs, allowing him to see his kids more than once per week.
Daniel dresses like an old woman, complete with a wig, body suit and face mask, and puts on an over-the-top English accent to reveal his character: Mrs. Doubtfire. He then calls Miranda from a blocked number and expresses interest in the nanny job. Miranda loves Mrs. Doubtfire and hires her. Hilarity ensues as Daniel takes on the Mrs. Doubtfire persona and tries to be a nanny to his children, despite knowing nothing about cooking, cleaning or childcare.
As with most movie adaptations, my expectations were low. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this production. The musical numbers were lively and fun, with catchy lyrics that were stuck in my head long after curtain call. The cast’s talent was evident throughout the show, with Craig Allen Smith leaving the audience wheezing with laughter (literally). He acted out absurd situations as Mrs. Doubtfire, like switching between Daniel and the lovable nanny multiple times during a home visit from Wanda Sellner, ending in Smith shoving his face into a pie to hide Mrs. Doubtfire’s –er— Daniel’s unmade up face.
Smith’s hilarious acts were supported perfectly by Brian Kalinowski and Devon Wycovia Buchanan, who played Daniel’s brother, Frank, and his husband, Andre, respectively. Their comedic timing and over-the-top acting were a perfect complement to the goofy situations in the show. The pair shone brightly during the scene with Wanda Sellner, stuttering, or, in Brian’s case, nervously yelling, to help Daniel fool Wanda into thinking Mrs. Doubtfire and Daniel were two different people.
Melissa Campbell’s beautiful, soft singing as she sings “Let Go,” a song that explains why she finally had to break off her marriage to Daniel brought tears to my eyes.
Alanis Sophia was a standout star as Lydia. Her voice was strong and powerful and led the other Hillard children in songs like “What the Hell,” a fun, but sad, musical number where the kids question the reason that their once happy family was now torn apart.
Overall, the directors of the production did a fantastic job sticking closely to the original movie script while still adding modern twists, such as the characters using cell phones in clever ways or references to social media. The songs in the musical numbers were upbeat and left many audience members laughing for joy. Mrs. Doubtfire the musical was a positive, uplifting show, offering a nice break from the somewhat bleak goings on outside the doors of the theater.
“Mrs. Doubtfire the Musical Comedy” is currently on a U.S. tour. While it is not scheduled to return to Boston, the show will return to New England. It will be at the Schubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, March 5 through 8 and Cross Insurance Hall in Bangor, Maine, on June 25. Touring schedule and tickets can be found at https://doubtfirethemusical.com/tour.
