Mrs Doubtfire The New Comedy Musical – Helloooo, Gabriel Vicks is a homage to Robin Williams character Mrs Doubtfire

I love theatre and it is great to see that many classic movies are being adapted for the theatre stage. The latest being Mrs Doubtfire which has been adapted into a new comedy musical which can be seen at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London.

The classic 90s comedy film Mrs Doubtfire starred the late Robin Williams which has now been given the full West End treatment to celebrate the movies 30^th anniversary.

Mrs Doubtfire is a movie which centres around a married couple Daniel and Miranda who have three children but recently they have divorced but there are child minding issues to deal with. Daniel within the movie is played by the humorous Robin Williams. Daniel unfortunately given by the court only has a restricted amount of time once a week he can see his children but that is not enough time with them for him. So when he hears that his ex wife Miranda is looking for a nanny with the help of his brother and partner who work in prosthesis helps transform Daniel into a woman which ends up being a nanny type figure. This way he gets to see his children in disguise from his wife everyday in the family home. Throughout the movie there is many funny moments in which shows Mrs Doubtfire with his children but unfortunately his time with his children eventually gets cut short as Daniel soon gets unmasked.

This Twentieth Century Studios Motion Picture movie Mrs Doubtfire became a classic for all sorts of reasons as it starred Robin Williams, and it became a box office smash, grossing over $440 million on just a $25 million budget which earned it the title of the world’s second highest-grossing film of 1993. Mrs. Doubtfire also won the award for Best Makeup at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture in the Musical or Comedy category. Robin William’s also won a Golden Globe for Best Actor.

This classic movie now can be seen LIVE on the West End stage which sees many scenes relived out from the movie, with some adjustments and some new scenes along the way making this theatre production a joy from start to finish.

I went along to a press night as to review and see just how wonderful Mrs Doubtfire is on stage which it did not disappoint. In fact this has become one of my new favourite musicals to have seen at the West End thanks to the story and the acting played out by Gabriel Vicks who plays Daniel and Mrs Doubtfire.

Mrs Doubtfire The New Comedy Musical at Shaftesbury Theatre

Mrs Doubtfire is based on a beloved classic movie which came out in 1993. It has now been turned into a comedy musical by creator Kevin McCollum and Jamie Wilson along with Gavin Kalin, Hunter Arnold, LAMS Productions, Nicole Eisenberg, Bob Cohen, Isaac Robert Hurwitz, James L Nederlander, Boyett/Miller, Ayal Miodovnik, Barbara Freitag, IPN, Sing Out Louise, Bard Theatricals, Lucas McMahon and brought to life by outstanding West End theatrical stars.

Having had a sensational, sell-out run in Manchester, Mrs Doubtfire the Musical has now come to London’s Shaftesbury Theatre for a limited run starting May 2023 to June 2024.

This musical  comedy is centred around Daniel and him as Mrs Doubtfire. Coming from a broken family out of work actor Daniel is trying hard to do anything to be able to keep seeing his children after losing custody in a messy divorce. With that he creates an alter ego of a Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire in a desperate attempt to stay in their lives. As his new character takes on a life of its own, Mrs Doubtfire teaches Daniel more than he bargained for about how to be a father.

Mrs Doubtfire is a new comedy musical full of humour, dance and singing as Daniel aka Mrs Doubtfire  shows that the impossible can be possible with a little help from his brother and that just because a family might not be together love will always bind them together.

Mrs Doubtfire at Shaftesbury Theatre

Mrs Doubtfire is being played at Shaftesbury Theatre.

Upon entering the theatre doors I immediately saw a carboard cut out of Mrs Doubtfire so I just had to have a photo with her.

There is also a stand where you can purchase merchandise on Mrs Doubtfire from keyrings to mugs but what I loved the look of best was the apron with burnt marks on the bosom area.

One of the most classic moments from the movie in my opinion.  

Also I must point out the Souvenir Programme is one of the best Souvenir Programmes I have ever seen as it is not loaded with adverts. It is very informative with information about Shaftesbury Avenue, the show from the movie to the stage, and information about all creators and the stage cast.

Before the show there is a large bar on the ground floor where you can enjoy drinks and grab snacks from. I got an Espresso Martini before I headed along with my husband to our seats.

The view from down in the stalls S1 & S2 was a ok view, we were sat on the side and quite far back from the stage but nevertheless still could see everything. The only thing I would say is that the seats are not sloped enough to be able to see over peoples heads so if you have someone quite tall or big sit in front of you it then can obstruct your view quite a bit.

The show lasted for for 2 hrs and 30 mins and starts at 7pm during the week.

Well Helloooo Mrs Doubtfire

Now time for Mrs Doubtfire The New Musical Comedy.

In homage to Robin Williams and the movie which is celebrating 30 years creators Kevin, Jamie & co plus some talented West End actors have now bought Mrs Doubtfire to the stage.

I still can’t believe that Mrs Doubtfire came out back in 1993. Needless to say this movie was a smash full of jokes along the way as Daniel aka Mrs Doubtfire played by Robin Williams made it such a classic and once of his best movies.  

The play is about Daniel Hillard (Gabriel Vicks) a freelance voice artist and puppeteer whos world comes crumbling down around him as he looses his job and ends up loosing his wife Miranda (Laura Tebbutt) through divorce. She gets awarded sole custody of their children with Daniel only being allowed to see them every Saturday for just a few hours. Until he can prove he can be a more responsible grown up adult by getting a new full time job, a house then there might be a renegotiation of visiting rights. Having not being happy with the situation of only seeing his children children Lydia Hillard (Carla Dixon-Hernandez), Christopher Hillard (Max Bispham) and Natalie Hillard (Angelica-Pearl Scott) for a few hours once a week he decides to apply for the nanny position which Miranda has posted out. With the help of his brother Frank (Cameron Blakely) and brothers partner Andre Mayem (Marcus Collins) who works in prosthetics Daniel gets transformed into a woman so he can get the nanny job. Miranda and his children fell for Mrs Doubtfire unbeknowning it’s Daniel as he plays a sweet old lady but things for Daniel do not remain happy forever as Stuart Dunmire (Samuel Edwards) who is Miranda boyfriend comes on the scene. This is where Mrs Doubtfire aka Daniel starts to intervene and finally gets unmasked.

The play is packed with scenes from movie which fans will remember, with some adaptations making it more modern along with some new scenes this heartwarming comedy musical is a joy from start to finish packed with jokes, dance, singing and a load of Mrs. Doubtfire’s most memorable quotes, which made everyone back in the day want Mrs Doubtfire to be their own nanny.

The scenes are as follows:

Act One – Overture, That’s Daniel, I Want To Be There, I Want To Be There (Reprise), Try A Little Harder, Make Me A Woman, What The Hell, Mr Jolly Theme Song, So Long From Mr Jolly, Easy Peasy, I Want To Be There (Reprise), Mr Jolly Theme Song (Reprise) Its About Time, I’m Rockin’ Now

Act Two – The Shape Of Things To Come, Big Fat No, Let Go, Clean It Up/What The Hell (Reprise), Playing With Fire, Welcome To La Rosa, He Liked To Me, Just Pretend, As Long As There is Love

All the scenes where entertaining and have a modern take but the ones that I particularly enjoyed was:

• Make me a Woman moment when Daniel had to try and come up with Mrs Doubtfire which has pumping camp disco music with a variety of makeover numbers portrayed to Daniel for his look from Princess Di to Margaret Thatcher.
• So Long From Mr Jolly when Daniel is spotted by the producer as he playing around with Mr Jolly set and rapping with music and using puppets of Mr Jollys to tell the time. A very modern take on the original way he got spotted in the movie.  
• Easy Peasy when Mrs Doubtfire aka Daniel tries to cook some nutritional meals for his children but ends up burning his bosoms. Instead of trying to cook from a cook book instead he uses recipes online and things end up not being as easy. To us we see the chef pop up in his kitchen from the ipad who leads a lively tap number (exuberant choreography throughout by Lorin Latarro), a chef like Nigella rubbing butter and a many other chefs as they sing, dance and throw a chicken and butter around the kitchen whilst Mrs Doubtfire tries to make heads and tales of the so called easy recipe.

What I also loved was the way that Mrs Doubtfire gets discovered rather than trying to mess with Stuarts food at the restaurant they are dining at instead Daniels disguise falls off in another way that is much more modern and fun to watch.

The play is that good there was even an standing ovation at the end.

In my opinion this is one of the best musicals in the West End presently.

Verdict

The whole play truly was a joy and certainly a homage to not just Mrs Doubtfire but also Robin Williams who was such an iconic performer.

Mrs Doubtfire from start to finish is fun all the way, with original songs such as Make Me a Woman, Mr Jolly Theme Song and so many more, singing, dancing, and packed with jokes and classic one liners taken from the movie played out throughout the play. It is largely faithful to the film, with a few tweaks here and there making it more modern.

Everyone played their role spectacularly on the stage bringing this movie to life but British actor Gabriel Vick who has starred within many West End musicals made Mrs Doubtfire phenomenal. He played Daniel and Mrs Doubtfire on stage which was a real homage to Robin Williams character. Gabriel played his part as Daniel and the loving Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire in such a way that it was certainly a grand tribute to Robin Williams character. His impersonations was humours, great vocals, and his personality shun all the way as he played Daniel and Mrs Doubtfire showing affection for his children. His performance was outstanding from start to finish.

I also loved how at the end of the play is that we actually see that Daniel never does get back with his wife Miranda as she stays with Stuart. However Mrs Doubtfire aka Daniel at the very end on his new TV show makes a lovely statement “As long at there is love, dear, you’ll have a family in your hearts forever”.

So if you are looking for a heartwarming play, full of laughter, dance and song then you’ll love Mrs Doubtfire and will want to take her home. It truly is an hilarious comedy that will leave you wanting more.

Mrs Doubtfire at The Shaftesbury Theatre book now

The Shaftesbury Theatre
210 Shaftesbury Avenue
London
WC2H 8DP

Mrs Doubtfire is a cross-dressing nanny bringing laughter, fun and a heartwarming feeling to all in this family favourite production!

Running time 2 hours & 30 minutes

Performances
Monday to Saturday 7.30pm
Matinees Thursday and Saturday 2.30 pm

Showing until June 2024

Book now

Thank you to Story House PR and all the actors on the night Gabriel Vicks, Laura Tebbutt, Carla Dixon-Hernandez, Cameron Blakely, Marcus Collins, Samuel Edwards, Kelly Agbown, Ian Talbot, Micha Richardson, Lisa Mathieson, Max Bispham, Angelica-Pearl Scott for such a memorable night full of laughs and energy. All views are my own honest opinion.