WW Reviews

She’s a hip-hopping nanny with a heart of gold. An uplifting musical with emotion in all the right places.

Mrs Doubtfire tells the story of Daniel Hillard who lacks responsibility for his life and actions. His wife divorces him and due to his unemployment and lack of accommodation is blocked from having custody of his children. Devasted by the separation Daniel dresses up as a woman called Mrs Doubtfire to become his children’s nanny.

The set was beautiful with a backdrop of San Francisco and the Hillard’s house with the stained glass windows. The costumes fitted the characters well with Lydia Hillard’s costumes helping to emphasise the characters youth as Lydia is played by an adult.

Mrs Doubtfire had a fun score but some songs lacked depth or development such as ‘Easy Peasy’ where Daniel learns to cook. Whilst the choreography was brilliant the song itself was not a stand out. However, there are some beautiful musical moments such as ‘I Want To Be There’; ‘Let Go’ and ‘Just Pretend’ all of which convey such emotion.

The magic trick that Mrs Doubtfire pulls off is to carry the original charm of the film through to the stage – this is rarely achieved with film to stage adaptations and Mrs Doubtfire keeps the elements of love that the original film did so well.

The cast carry this show through outstanding performances from everyone. Gabriel Vick as Daniel Hillard and Mrs Doubtfire shone as he brought the joy and hilarity that is needed for this enormous role. With so many quick changes – it felt like he never stopped running but rather than tiring, it was joyous. The ensemble were essential to the fun of this musical with show stopping numbers like ‘Make Me A Woman’ encompassing almost the entire company in a variety of outfits. It felt like an old fashioned show stopping number with brilliant choreography performed with modern flare and was one of my favourite scenes in a truly brilliant show.

For me, this is a five star show with stunning performances and a fun and touching score but looking with a more objective view it’s overall four stars. Particularly, with songs like ‘Easy Peasy’ which feels like treading water.

I would highly recommend Mrs Doubtfire for everyone who loves the original film or those who have yet to experience the original film. A small warning for families, there is a little swearing, but if you can move past this or have older children I would say run to this show for joy, fun and a heart warming story.

Mrs Doubtfire will be heading out on a UK tour with tickets on sale soon for more details head to*: https://mrsdoubtfiremusical.co.uk/uk-ireland-tour/

*This review is not sponsored or affiliated with Mrs Doubtfire. All tickets were bought and paid for by WWReviews.

Photography by: Manuel Harlan & Johan Perrson

Performance:
Wednesday 1st January 2025
19:30
Shaftesbury Theatre

Cast: