‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ is flawed, but has humor and heart

By Rich Fahey

BOSTON – When it comes to following in the footsteps of a great comic actor, there is one name that stands above the rest and casts the longest shadow: The late, great Robin Williams.

Yet that is exactly what Craig Allen Smith signed up for when he took on the role of Daniel Hillard in the national tour of the  musical “Mrs. Doubtfire,” now at the Emerson Colonial Theatre through Sept. 21.

Williams, of course, originated the role, portraying both the divorced father Hillard and his alter ego, the no-nonsense Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire, in the 1993 film.  In 2020, the musical debuted on Broadway, and in 2023 a national tour began that is still making its way around North America.

The musical is a case of the sum being better than most of its parts. The score is pedestrian at best and the book problematic at times, but some fine comic acting, an energetic ensemble, a generous amount of humor, and an upbeat, family-friendly message combine to lift it up. 

The book of the musical by Kasey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell hews closely to the film, with updates meant to bring it into the present.

Allen Smith as Daniel comes equipped with the various voice impressions that made Williams’s work comic gold in not only “Doubtfire,” but in animated films such as “Aladdin.”

Daniel is undisciplined as both an actor and a father;  he goofs around once too often on a job and ends up on the unemployment line.  That is the last straw for wife Miranda (Melissa Campbell), who sends Daniel packing and files for divorce. Daniel, without a job or a decent home of his own, cedes custody of their three children to his wife, with very narrow visitation rights.

Desperate to spend more time with his children, he reinvents himself as the kindly but firm Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire.

Luckily, Daniel’s gay brother Frank (Brian Kalinowski ) and Frank’s husband Andre Mayem (Devon Wychovia Buchanan) have the necessary skills to use latex, silicone and powder to find his inner womanhood (the makeup and prosthetics design by Craig Forrest-Thomas work well, except for the chin area). The duo provide comic relief when needed and also have a storyline about their attempts to adopt a child. They are also supportive of Daniel’s apparent foray into drag – until he tells them what he is up to. Still, they go along with the scheme.

Daniel also uses underhanded tactics to worm his way into Miranda’s nanny search, and the game’s afoot when he lands the job. Part of the game is Daniel’s efforts to doom a budding love affair between Miranda and colleague Stuart Dunmire (Collin  Salvatore). One of the better efforts in the score by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick is Act II’s “Big Fat No,” in which Daniel as Doubtfire does his best to destroy the relationship. “Make me a Woman” is a fun number done during Daniel’s makeover, when he envisions himself as Jackie O. or Princess Di before settling for a cross between Julia Child and Margaret Thatcher.

The Hillard children are well played by Alanis Sophia as the teen Lydia Hillard, our guide to her parents’ troubled relationship; Chance Challen as the younger, sensitive Christopher Hillard; and Vivian Atencio as  young Natalie Hillard. Kennedy V. Jackson has some fine moments as Wanda Sellner, an often-befuddled court liaison overseeing Daniel’s visitation rights, and Se’lah Jackson is Janet Lundy, a TV producer who may hold the key to Daniel getting more time with his children. Special mention to hard-working Scott Taylor-Cole, who shines in a variety of small roles, including a smarmy children’s TV host named Mr. Jolly.

Act II evolves into a theatrical reality show you might call “Physical Comedy: The Extreme Edition” as Daniel is called upon to change back and forth to Mrs. Doubtfire several times during the course of a manic dinner at a swanky restaurant, with the predictable disastrous ending.

There are also some fun moments generated from Michaeljon Slinger’s choreography. A band of internet chefs magically pop up to help Mrs. Doubtfire cook dinner, and  Daniel as Mrs. Doubtfire is confronted by a ring of dancing doppelgangers, a la the scene in “The Producers” with its ensemble of old women on walkers dancing up a storm.

The updated book also softens the character of Miranda, who in this version is the owner of a body-positive activewear line called “M Body.”

O’Farrell and the Kirkpatrick brothers also wrote the 2015 Broadway musical “Something Rotten!,” and they generate a generous amount of humor in this adaptation, such as Frank’s habit of shouting whenever he lies.

There is no “everyone lives happily ever after” ending, but Daniel will regain his footing, have more time with his kids, and, as Mrs. Doubtfire, deliver a positive message to families everywhere.

The national touring production of “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Book by Kasey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell, music and lyrics by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick. Tour direction by Steve Edlund. Tour choreographer by Michaeljon Slinger. At the Emerson Colonial Théâtre through Sept. 28. Broadwayinboston.com