The 1993 Twentieth Century Fox film Mrs. Doubtfire is being readied for a musical theatre adaptation that is Broadway-bound. The new musical will be directed by four-time Tony Award-winner Jerry Zaks (Hello, Dolly!, A Bronx Tale). Mrs. Doubtfire will feature a book by Tony nominees John O’Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick (Something Rotten!) and a score by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick (also of Something Rotten!). Casting, additional creative team, and a production schedule will be announced at a later date.
Mrs. Doubtfire was an enormous hit with audiences when the film premiered in 1993, grossing $219,195,243 in the US alone and $441,286,195 worldwide. The screenplay, by Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon is based on the novel Alias Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It concerns the story “a struggling actor who will go to any length to be with his children after he loses custody in a bitter divorce, disguising himself as a matronly British woman and taking a job as their nanny, in his ex-wife’s home.” The film, directed by Christopher Columbus, is particularly remembered for the late Robin Williams’ laughter-inducing, heartwarming, Golden Globe-winning performance as the title character.
Kevin McCollum and Bob Cohen of Fox Stage Productions issued a joint statement about the announcement: “Mrs. Doubtfire is such a beloved story, both laugh-out-loud hilarious and extremely moving. Getting this team together and crafting Mrs. Doubtfire for the stage has been pure joy. We can’t wait to get into production.”
Mark Robinson is the author of the two-volume encyclopedia The World of Musicals, The Disney Song Encyclopedia, and The Encyclopedia of Television Theme Songs. He maintains a theater and entertainment blog at markrobinsonwrites.com.