It would be hard to pick a single defining Robin Williams performance
The late actor and comedian had such a long-reaching career, that there is so much to pick from –
Aladdin,
Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Mork & Mindy, Good Morning Vietnam….
Yet, if at a push, you picked
Mrs Doubtfire, you would not get many complaints. Williams took what should have been a slightly creepy premise – a father who is denied custody access to his kids, so dresses up an old Scottish nanny to spend time with them – into something hilarious and heart-warming.
It played to all Williams strengths, being anarchic, yet also touching, and let him do loads of the crazy voices he was great at.
For years, a sequel was in development, but nothing ever came together, and it was officially cancelled with Williams’ death in August 2014.
There probably will be a remake eventually – there have actually been both Tamil and Hindi adaptations in the past. But it has now been announced that
Mrs Doubtfire is heading to the stage.
The 1993 comedy is to be turned into a Broadway musical.
It will be directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks. The Tony-nominated writers of the William Shakespeare-inspired musical
Something Rotten!, John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick, will handle the script, with Kirkpatrick and his brother Wayne writing the music and lyrics.
Producer Kevin McCollum said in
a statement “
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.”
There is no current date for when it might hit the stage.
Hit movies being turned into stage musicals has become a very common trend in recent years, with the likes of
Mean Girls,
The Lion King,
Billy Elliot and even horror movies like
American Psycho and
The Evil Dead getting the stage treatment.
