US theatre producers Fox Stage Productions and Kevin McCollum have confirmed plans to adapt the hit film Mrs Doubtfire in to a huge Broadway musical.
Based on the classic 1993 smash-hit film, the musical will be written by John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick (Something Rotten!), with music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick. Four-time Tony Award-winner and eight-time Tony Award-nominee Jerry Zaks (Hello, Dolly! and A Bronx Tale) is set to direct the adaptation.
In a statement, McCollum and Bob Cohen of Fox Stage Productions said: "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."
The original film starred the late, great Robin Williams as struggling actor Daniel Hillard, who loses custody of his children in a bitter divorce. Determined to stay in contact with his kids and with nothing left to lose, Daniel decides to disguise himself as a matronly Scottish woman named Mrs Doubtfire and gets a job as a housekeeper for his ex-wife. The ruse is a success and Daniel gets to spend time with his children, but learns some difficult truths about his own skills as a parent along the way. Mrs. Doubtfire also marked the first role for a young Mara Wilson, whose other hit film, Matilda, has already been made into an enormously successful, global musical.
In 2015, legendary composer Alan Menken, who worked on Disney classics such as Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas and Aladdin, was in talks to bring Mrs Doubtfire to the stage, but the project never came to fruition. However, the wheels are once again in motion with a brand new creative team and, while casting news and release dates have yet to be announced, we can expect to see Mrs Doubtfire on stage within the next few years.
