“familiar but different and that’s what you want with an adaptation”

The mark of a great adaptation is to take what came before and elevate it to new heights and I can safely say that Mrs. Doubtfire: The Musical does just that.

Going into this musical adaption of the beloved film classic I purposely didn’t look at the cast list because I didn’t want to go in with expectations or preconceived ideas about how the actors would be in the iconic roles, no one can replace Robin Williams and I thought it would be unfair to compare Gabriel Vick in the role of Daniel Hillard aka Mrs Doubtfire to that of Williams, it’s big shoes to fill and Vick is tremendous in the role, bringing his own take to the characters, he isn’t doing an impression of Williams, he’s taken some of the core elements of the 1993 classic characters and made them well and truly his own, blending in pop culture references and other comedy greats such as Jim Carrey to put his own stamp on the characters.

Mrs. Doubtfire: The Musical is very different but familiar at the same time and it is a joy to watch from start to finish, and I can certainly see it being around for years to come, it’s amazing.

Similarly Laura Tebbutt is Miranda Hillard the put upon wife of Daniel, she isn’t doing an impression of Sally Field, there are where she’s channeling Field with some iconic lines, but she makes Miranda her own and the woman can sing, there are no bum notes or slouches in this cast and you root for all of them to succeed.

So the child cast are also impressive, lead by the amazing Carla Dixon-Hernandez; she’s wonderful as Lydia Hillard and the girl can sing! Frankie Treadway and Angelica-Pearl Scott are great as Christopher and Natalie Hillard respectively.

The role of Frank Hillard played by Cameron Blakely, not only is he funny in an expanded role from the film version, and he makes Frank his own, there is a delightful and topical additional sub plot with him and his husband Andre played by Marcus Collins that is a poignant addition to this adaptation, and as iconic Harvey Fierstein is in the film version this rendition stands out.

Personal highlight for me was Lisa Mathieson as the Flamenco Singer during the pivotal liar reveal scene, she’s incredibly entertaining. With that scene, it’s different to the film which is fantastic, and played out in a similar way but they put their own spin on it. I knew it was coming but it is handled with so much inventiveness that it is familiar but different and that’s the whole Musical for me; familiar but different and that’s what you want with an adaptation like I said before, enough to honour what came before but do it’s own thing, and it does just that and more.

The music in the show is all original music and it fits perfectly with the story, a highlight for me is during a dream sequence where there are many Mrs. Doubtfire’s. It’s very inventive and an interesting addition to the story.

Jerry Zaks and his creative team have a winner on the hands, the show is fantastic and one that is incredibly energetic and fun throughout.