Mrs.  Doubtfire  at  DPAC  Is  WONDERFUL!

Rob McClure stars as Euphegenia Doubtfire on March 19-24 at the Durham Performing Arts Center (photo by Joan Marcus)

I had my doubts about going to see the Durham Performing Arts Center's presentation of the 2021 Broadway musical comedy Mrs. Doubtfire, based on the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire, which is based on Anne Fine's 1987 novel, Madame Doubtfire, with music and lyrics by Karey Kirkpatrick and Wayne Kirkpatrick and a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell. I couldn't imagine anyone holding a flame to Robin Williams' performance in the movie. But I was more than pleasantly surprised -- at some points, nearly ecstatic -- by two-time Tony&174; nominee Rob McClure's multifaceted performance as Daniel Hilliard, the man-child protagonist of the production.

Mrs. Doubtfire stars Maggie Lakis as Miranda Hillard and Rob McClure as Daniel Hillard (photo by Joan Marcus)

The show opens with Daniel at center stage, standing behind a sound system, performing the latest of his string of jobs. He takes on the voices of a plethora of well-known personalities as he recites the usually boring preshow announcements (no photography, turn off cell phones, etc.) of whatever production is at hand. Homer Simpson, Darth Vader, Kermit the Frog, Donald Trump, Yoda -- McClure is a fabulous impersonator, not unlike Robin Williams. And this is only the tip of his iceberg of talents, over which Daniel's lack of control costs him this job and many previous jobs.

Mrs. Doubtfire stars Rob McClure as Daniel Hillard/Euphegenia Doubtfire (photo by Joan Marcus)

As Daniel's family situation deteriorates, alongside his employment troubles; and he begins to impersonate the old Scottish nanny, Mrs. Doubtfire, in order to remain a part of his children's lives, McClure's expanse as a performer is unveiled. Among the highlights is his high-heeled tap dancing in "Easy Peasy," the show-tunes-like number when Mrs. Doubtfire learns to cook, using videos on the Internet. During this scene, my 13-year-old son turned to me and said, "This is really good" -- which, given his generally critical nature (particularly when it comes to musicals) is no small matter.

Mrs. Doubtfire stars Leo Roberts (left) as Stuart Dunmire and Rob McClure as Euphegenia Doubtfire (photo by Joan Marcus)

The best part of the production is when Daniel Hilliard, who is working as a janitor at a television studio, experiments with the loop machine of a guest on Mr. Jolly's outdated children's show. McClure's one-man performance of "It's About Time" is akin to the ADD antics of Robin Williams, as he incorporates electronic looping, puppetry, rap, and beatboxing into a song about how to tell time that should be part of every second-grade curriculum.

Giselle Guiterrez stars as Lydia Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire (photo by Joan Marcus)

But McClure isn't the only game in town. Though some are more vocally adept than others, all the actors are up to snuff. Nik Alexander's portrayal of Andre Mayem, the gay hair-dressing partner of Daniel Hilliard's brother Frank (Aaron Kaburick) is delightful, both when and when it is not set to music. His performance in the group number "Make Me a Woman" justifiably draws loud laughter and applause.

The cast includes (from left) Giselle Guiterrez as Lydia Hillard, Maggie Lakis as Miranda Hillard, Axel Bernard
Rimmele as Christopher Hillard, and Kennedy Alexandra Pitney as Natalie Hillard (photo by Joan Marcus)

David Korins' set moves seamlessly from television/sound studio to hair-and-makeup salon to the interior and exterior of the Hilliards' San Francisco home, aided in transition by large group song-and-dance numbers that will have viewers dancing in their seats. Every ensemble cast member deserves recognition, no doubt in large part due to choreographer Lorin Latarro.

Mrs. Doubtfire, playing March 19-24 at the Durham Performing Arts Center, stars (from left) Nik Alexander as Andre Mayhem,
Aaron Kaburick as Frank Hillard, Romelda Teron Benjamin, and Rob McClure as Daniel Hillard (photo by Joan Marcus)

Though his role as Daniel's wife Miranda's (Maggie Lakis) new love interest is a comparably small one, Leo Roberts is dreamy as Stuart Dunmire; and he is the pinnacle of vocal talent in the production. Like his physique, Roberts' voice is deep, strong, and just the right amount of operatic -- much like Richard White's Gaston in Disney's 1991 film version of Beauty and the Beast. Stuart Dunmire's and Mrs. Doubtfire's Sweat-Gym duet, "Big Fat No," could be a nightmare, given the opposite extremes of their characters' voices; but Roberts and McClure make harmony in a way that showcases both Roberts' vocal prowess and McClure's adept and playful older-female impersonation.

Mrs. Doubtfire stars (from left) Axel Bernard Rimmele as Christopher Hillard, Giselle Guiterrez as Lydia Hillard, Rob
McClure as Euphegenia Doubtfire, and Kennedy Alexandra Pitney as Natalie Hillard (photo by Joan Marcus)

Also stars of the show, child performers Emerson Mae Chan (who alternates with Kennedy Pitney) and Cody Braverman (who alternates with Axel Bernard Rimmele) are comfortable and adorably believable in their shared portrayals of the Hilliards' youngest children, even when they are singing; and Giselle Gutierrez's pop-song vocal timbres in "What the Hell" and "Just Pretend" are appropriately refreshing as she unfolds the teenage character of Lydia Hilliard in song.

Rob McClure stars as Daniel Hillard/Euphegenia Doubtfire in Mrs. Doubtfire (photo by Joan Marcus)

The best word to describe director Jerry Zaks' touring production of Mrs. Doubtfire, the musical, is FUN. This is a performance that you should bring your kids to -- particularly if your family is experiencing the effects of divorce. It will not only keep your attention until the end, but it will leave you feeling even better than when you got there.

DPAC will present the national tour of Mrs. Doubtfire on March 19-24, as part of Truist Broadway at DPAC (photo by Joan Marcus)

Wayne Kirkpatrick, Karey Kirkpatrick, and John O'Farrell's MRS. DOUBTFIRE (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, March 20-24), directed by Jerry Zaks, choreographed by Lorin Latarro, presented as part of Truist Broadway at DPAC, and starring Rob McClure as Daniel Hilliard, Maggie Lakis as Miranda Hilliard, Giselle Gutierrez as Lydia Hilliard, Aaron Kaburick as Frank Hilliard, Nik Alexander as Andre Mayem, Leo Roberts as Stuart Dunmire, Romelda Teron Benjamin as Wanda Sellner, Cody Braverman and Axel Bernard Rimmele as Christopher Hilliard, Emerson Mae Chan and Kennedy Pitney as Natalie Hilliard, David Hibbard as Mr. Jolly, and Jodi Kimura as Janet Lundy, plus an Ensemble that includes Alex Branton, David Hibbard, Jonathan Hoover, Sheila Jones, dance captain Julie Kavanaugh, Jodi Kimura, Marquez Linder, Alex Ringler, Lannie Rubio, assistanr dance captain Neil Starkenberg, Lauryn Withnell, and Julia Yameen and Swings that include Ian Liberto, Naderah Munaji, JP Qualters, Bianca Rivera-Irions, Joey Stone, and Gina Ward (Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham). DIGITAL PROGRAM: https://issuu.com/dpac0/docs/dpac_doubtfire_digital. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYiHIYfIlr0&t=1s. PRESENTER/VENUE: https://www.dpacnc.com/, https://www.facebook.com/DPACNC, https://www.instagram.com/DPACNC/, https://twitter.com/DPAC, and https://www.youtube.com/user/DPACLive. 2023-24 TRUIST BROADWAY AT DPAC SEASON: https://www.dpacnc.com/truist-broadway/season/truist-broadway-at-dpac-2023-2024. DIRECTIONS: https://www.dpacnc.com/plan-your-visit/directions. PARKING: https://www.dpacnc.com/plan-your-visit/parking. DPAC COVID-19 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: https://www.dpacnc.com/events/latest-updates-on-events-at-dpac/reopening-faq. THE TOUR: https://mrsdoubtfirebroadway.com/, https://www.facebook.com/doubtfireontour/, https://www.instagram.com/doubtfireontour/, https://www.tiktok.com/@doubtfireontour, and https://twitter.com/DoubtfireonTour. TOUR CAST & CREATIVE TEAM: https://mrsdoubtfirebroadway.com/cast/. MRS. DOUBTFIRE (1993 film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107614/, https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/84089/mrs-doubtfire#overview, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Doubtfire. MRS. DOUBTFIRE (2019 Seattle, 2021 Broadway, and 2023 West End musical): https://mrsdoubtfirebroadway.com/, https://www.mrsdoubtfiremusical.co.uk/, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/mrs-doubtfire-524998, , and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Doubtfire_(musical). THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/books. WAYNE KIRKPATRICK (Baton Rouge, LA-born composer and lyricist): https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/wayne-kirkpatrick-498918, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0456765/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Kirkpatrick. KAREY KIRKPATRICK (Monroe, LA-born composer, lyricist, and playwright and screenwriter): https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/karey-kirkpatrick-498919, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0456732/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karey_Kirkpatrick. JOHN O'FARRELL (Maidenhead, Berkshire, England-born playwright and screenwriter): https://www.rcwlitagency.com/authors/ofarrell-john/, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/john-ofarrell-498920, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0640976/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_O%27Farrell_(author). TICKETS: $29.50 and up, plus taxes and fees. Call 800-982-2787 or click here to buy tickets. GROUPS (10+ tickets): 919-680-2787, Groups@DPACnc.com, and https://www.dpacnc.com/events/groups-services. INFORMATION: 919-680-2787 or CustomerService@DPACnc.com. Justin Morey's Triangle Arts Review Review.

WHAT: Triangle Review is a FREE weekly e-mail performing-arts and film newsletter, edited and published by Robert W. McDowell since April 2001.

TO SUBSCRIBE: To start your FREE subscription today, sign up in the subscription box at the beginning of this e-mail; or e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE-TR in the Subject: line. TO UNSUBSCRIBE: E-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type UNSUBSCRIBE-TR in the Subject: line.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? E-mail all questions, comments, and Letters to the Editor to RobertM748@aol.com. For Letters to the Editor, please include a daytime telephone number in your e-mail.

COPYRIGHT: Editorial content in all formats © 2024 Triangle Review and the author of each article. Reproduction in any form without authorization of Triangle Review and the respective authors is prohibited. Triangle Review maintains an archive of past issues. To request copies of past articles and/or issues, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com.