Mrs. Doubtfire ★★★★★ Shaftesbury Theatre | Until June 2, 2024


Sometimes you get exactly what the package promises! Mrs. Doubtfire is a terrific, feel-good musical with excellent performances, top notch production numbers and lots of positive energy. This is a show that depends on its star, and Gabriel Vick as Daniel Hillard delivers. He does a superb job of being the childish spouse who learns how to be a responsible adult when he becomes his children's nanny. Vick's voice work and transformations are nothing short of astonishing and his enthusiasm is contagious. Laura Tebbutt as Miranda, the long-suffering wife, is pitch-perfect and the children come across as endearing without being cutesy. All of the cast work well together, and we particularly liked Samuel Edwards as the bland new boyfriend and Cameron Blakely as the brother who yells when he lies. The show has some great numbers such as when the newly minted nanny decides to cook for the family. As anyone who's ever tried to follow a recipe online knows, it's never "Easy Peasy." Set in the gym, the number "Big Fat No" has Daniel, in the role of Mrs. Doubtfire, being asked to give relationship advice to his wife's new beau. It is cleverly written and definitely exercises the audience's funny bone. In the crisis scene, "Welcome to La Rosa," Lisa Mathieson and her companions are wonderfully over the top as the sultry flamenco trio, and the disintegration of Daniel's deception is hilariously disconcerting. Everything ends well, as we know it will, but this show eschews the fairy tale conclusion. "As Long As There Is Love" celebrates all kinds of families and becomes an inspiring anthem affirming inclusivity.

Rated: ★★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Manuel Harlan

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When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: 210 Shaftesbury Ave, London WC2H 8DP, UK

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