SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 13, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — If you’re looking for a Broadway quality musical comedy and a night of improbable hilarity, check out the musical “Mrs. Doubtfire” at the Eccles Theater, which shows tonight through Sunday courtesy the Broadway Touring Company and Zions Bank Broadway at the Eccles.
For ticket information, check here.
Rob McClure, who played the title role on the Broadway stage, appears as divorced dad and unemployed actor Daniel Hillard and his alter-ego, elderly Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire, hired to watch Daniel’s three kids after he is deemed unsuitably irresponsible by former wife Miranda Hillard (actress Catherine Brunell).
Doubtfire, of course, is Daniel in a professional quality rubber mask, a wig, and dowdy clothing. The plot is based on the 1993 film, “Mrs. Doubtfire,” which starred Robin Williams as Daniel and Doubtfire.
“HELL-OOOOO!,” as Euphegenia would cheerfully bellow. Are you still with us on the plot? It is pretty far fetched.
People who have seen the film will have an advantage in following the action, and accepting that an ex-wife can’t recognize her highly costumed ex. And neither can Daniel’s three kids, at least at first. And there are plenty of sight gags and scenes that hail back to the film, including Mrs. Doubtfire setting her fake, padded bosom on fire in a cooking accident, and hiding her maskless face by diving into a meringue dessert. There are also a few inside jokes for anyone who has seen the film, and I won’t ruin those.
The musical is directed by Jerry Zaks. The music and lyrics, by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick, add a lot of character development and emotional insights the film doesn’t have. The book, by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, adds a few more fun scenes you never saw in the film without deviating far from the original plot. Colorful costumes and dance numbers are a treat.
The dancing is fun, the singing is strong, and the costumes are realistic and appropriate to downright silly and cheerful, depending on the scene. There is a little adult language that doesn’t add a lot, except to distinguish wild Daniel’s gritty style from that of the refined Mrs. Doubtfire.
So who won’t get what they want from this production? Theater lovers seeking major technical innovations, new and deep story revelations, and extensive plot developments.
“Mrs. Doubtfire” focuses more on a playful and energetic retelling of the original story, with a ridiculous number of fast costume changes, especially in the restaurant scene.
And this show comes to the same conclusion: that there are many kinds of families, and supportive love is far more important than matching the traditional cookie-cutter mold of a traditional family.
If you are looking for edgy, daring, insightful and deep revelations, save your entertainment budget for another show. You can leave “Mrs. Doubtfire” in the ’90s, as a film.
If you are looking for a silly good time and a familiar show to make you smile, this show is for you.
And if you feel that, by enjoying this show, you are somehow cheating on Robin Williams — which is ridiculous, I know — remember “Mrs. Doubtfire” also works as a tribute. Two ladies behind me said, during intermission, that to them, Williams will always live on because of the mountain of film and television projects he left behind.
