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Prepare yourselves, dearies: Mrs. Doubtfire is coming to Broadway. A musical adaptation of the 1993 movie, about everyone's favorite divorced dad turned cross-dressed Scottish housekeeper, will begin previews at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on March 9 and officially open on April 5, 2020.
As previously announced, the Mrs. Doubtfire musical, adapted for the stage by Something Rotten!'s John O'Farrell and Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick, will be directed by musical-comedy ace Jerry Zaks (Hello, Dolly!). Now we also know the main casting. Filling Robin Williams's sensible shoes in the title tole will be Rob McClure, whose substantial talents buoyed 2012's otherwise unmemorable Chaplin, and who has since played leads in Honeymoon in Vegas and Beetlejuice. Joining McClure will be Tarzan survivor Jenn Gambatese in Sally Field's ex-wife slot, and two very gifted musical comedians, Brad Oscar (The Producers) and Mark Evans (Waitress), in the parts played on film by Harvey Fierstein and Pierce Brosnan, respectively.
As we noted last year when the Mrs. Doubtfire musical was first announced, Broadway has been fertile ground for musicals about drag lately—with Tootsie already on the Great White Way and several others in the pipeline. Some audiences may feel a little dragged out. But there's no denying the affection that many people hold for this particular movie. If the creators get it right, the musical might clean up.
Tickets go on sale to the general public through Telecharge or Broadway.com at 10am on Friday, November 1.