Shaftesbury Theatre, til 26 April 2025

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Slapstick comedy is backed up by a sweet story, making this a family hit.

It’s a rare occasion on Nosebleeds when I have to declare a vested interest in a review. I wasn’t paid to see Mrs Doubtfire, and in fact the person who got my discounted ticket (plus hospitality!) doesn’t know about my humble little blog. It was my hockey teammate who works at the Shaftesbury (thanks, Claudia!), who was kind enough to treat our entire squad to a night at the theatre. I’d like to think my four-star review of this kind, sweet, funny family musical hasn’t been biased by the free pre-show drinks or access to a private room. But it hasn’t hurt!

This musical version of Mrs Doubtfire follows the same plot as the beloved 1994 Robin Williams movie. Daniel Hillard is a scampish voice actor whose fun-loving nature delights his children as much as it exasperates his wife Miranda. When she finally cracks and serves him with divorce papers, his lack of employment and dubious living arrangements curry little favour with the judge, who denies him custodial rights. Desperate for any way to see his kids, Daniel enlists the help of his costumier brother to transform into Scottish biddy Mrs Doubtfire, ingratiating himself back into the family as the new nanny. Ill-advised venture though it is, re-entering the familial home with a different perspective gives Daniel a unique opportunity to form a very different relationship with his kids and former wife.

Mrs Doubtfire is first and foremost a comedy and its humour is very broad – that shouldn’t come as a surprise given the central premise is a man dressing up as an old lady. I’ll admit in some of the early scenes I was struggling to get fully on board – the jokes seemed too obvious, the cast too eager to milk easy laughs from the material (on several occasions they appeal directly to the audience for applause). But it’s important to remember this is a family musical, and if you can pause any cynicism and take the whole thing at face value, there’s really a lot to enjoy. Yes, it’s all very slapstick and farcical, but it’s done pretty well, and the audience at my performance (on a sober Tuesday evening) were loving every minute. 

What helps make the broad humour palatable is that it’s underpinned by a core story that’s really quite tender – and surprisingly nuanced for what’s essentially one big drag show. Daniel’s ludicrous plan is obviously fodder for a lot of laughs, whether it’s his wig getting knocked flying out of a window or the talc he has to lather on to fit into his body suit. But amongst the ridiculousness, a more serious story starts to emerge: in being forced to inhabit a new persona – a more responsible, but also softer persona – Daniel must view his family in a whole new way. On a basic level, he learns to be a more diligent parent, with a greater sense of discipline. On a more profound level, he is able to come to terms with his grief over the loss of his marriage, understand the courage of Miranda’s choice, and accept a new idea of what family looks like. It may sound silly but I even found myself welling up at some points, such as when eldest daughter Lydia questions her father’s love or when Miranda pours her heart out about how difficult her marriage was. 

The 1994 movie wasn’t a musical and I wouldn’t say Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick’s musical additions are particularly noteworthy. None are overly memorable and a few definitely feel like time-filling slubs included to make up the extra minutes gained from the movie-to-stage adaptation. Having said that, while the songs may not be very good, they are good enough. There are enough melodies, guitar licks and vocal solos to keep the crowd entertained and feeling like it’s worth the price of admission to hear some live music. 

Perhaps the elephant in the room when adapting Mrs Doubtfire would be how to cast the role of Daniel, famously portrayed by the much-beloved and dearly departed Robin Williams. His are enormous shoes to fill. Fortunately Gabriel Vick does a pretty bang-up job. He’s clever enough not to attempt a flat-out Williams imitation (and indeed his impressions probably aren’t quite as strong), but he’s got the comedic chops and performance charisma to make the role his own. It’s worth crediting him too for the sheer endurance he displays through various choreography numbers, physical comedy routines and numerous quick changes; it’s an incredibly demanding role and I was shocked when my theatre pal told me Vick had only just returned from an injury. 

Given my quibbles about some of the comedy and the quality of the music, I wondered if I should give Mrs Doubtfire three stars instead of four. Certainly when comparing it to other shows I’ve recently given four stars, like Retrograde or Farewell Mister Haffman, it seems hard to argue this lives up to the same giddy heights of theatrical possibility. But of course not all theatre is made to tackle the Great Ideas of Our Times – famously Shakespeare wrote his plays to be enjoyed by the common people. Mrs Doubtfire offers the same family-friendly fun as the movie it’s based on, with a genuinely beautiful story at the heart of it. If you can indulge your inner child for an evening, there’s a lot to like here.

Visit the Shaftesbury Theatre website for tickets to Mrs Doubtfire.