She’s back.
If you watched the excellent documentary on the life of Robin Williams, you’ll remember the segment about Mrs. Doubtfire and Williams’ remarkable gift for improv and ad-libbing some of the film’s best lines.
For example, this entire passage was invented on the spot.
Miranda: What happened?
Mrs. Doubtfire: He was quite fond of the drink. It was the drink that killed him.
Miranda: How awful. He was an alcoholic?
Mrs. Doubtfire: No, he was hit by a Guinness truck.
Genius.
Hard as it is to believe, it has been 25 years since the world fell in love with Mrs. Doubtfire and to mark that famous anniversary, the duster is about to be dusted off.
The beloved comedy is being revived for a Broadway audience as production plans have been confirmed for the musical.
A statement from Fox Stage Productions reads: “Mrs Doubtfire is such a beloved story, both laugh-out-loud hilarious and extremely moving. Getting this team together and crafting Mrs Doubtfire for the stage has been pure joy. We can’t wait to get into production.”
Four-time Tony winner Jerry Zaks, most recently represented on Broadway with the Tony-winning revival of Hello, Dolly!, has been named as the director.
In case you’ve never seen the film, Mrs. Doubtfire follows the journey of a struggling actor who will go to any length to be with his children after he loses custody in a bitter divorce, disguising himself as a matronly British woman and taking a job as their nanny, in his ex-wife’s home.
The film took home Golden Globe Awards for Williams (Best Actor in a Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy) and Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy.
Of course, nobody can match the energy, skill and warmth that Williams brought to the role, but we’re optimistic about this version. After all, another one of his most beloved roles, the genie in Aladdin, has been successfully recast on a number of occasions, so this has serious potential.
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