‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: Rob McClure. Photo: Joan Marcus.

MRS. DOUBTFIRE
Book by Karey Kirkpatrick & John O’Farrell
Music & lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick & Karey Kirkpatrick
Directed by Jerry Zaks
Choreographed by Lorin Latarro
Music supervision by Ethan Popp
Stephen Sondheim Theatre

124 West 43rd Street
(212-239-6200), www.DoubtfireBroadway.com

By David NouNou

Mrs. Doubtfire’s intentions are good and it aims to please. There is a lot going on in here, but in this case, the proverbial less would have been more. Fewer non-descript songs by the talented Kirkpatrick brothers would have gone a lot further. They did a great job with the score of Something Rotten!—one of my all-time favorite shows—but here the score is so unmemorable to the point of tedium, with the exception of two production numbers, “Make Me A Woman” and “The Shape of Things to Come,” thanks to the ingenious direction by Jerry Zaks and the choreography by Lorin Latarro.

When you create a stage adaptation of a mega-hit family movie—one which originally starred the incomparable Robin Williams—you are also taking a big gamble. Yes, it is an identifiable brand, but turning Mrs. Doubtfire into a musical forces one to make the unenviable comparison of movie versus musical. The movie was seamless and believable and you rooted for the hero Daniel Hilliard/Mrs. Doubtfire. In this case, it is quite difficult to root for Daniel (Rob McClure).

Daniel here is an obnoxious, irresponsible man-child who refuses to take anything seriously. His wife Miranda (Jenn Gambatese) has given him every opportunity to grow up and take responsibility as a husband and father, but he instead remains a child among his own three children: Lydia (Analise Scarpaci), Christopher (Jack Ryan Flynn) and the youngest, Natalie (Avery Sell). This leads to their divorce and the custody of the children. The only way Daniel would get more time to spend with his children is to take the job of their nanny/babysitter, and recreate himself as Mrs. Doubtfire with the aid of the make-up artists Frank, his brother (Brad Oscar) and his husband Andre (J. Harrison Ghee).

You’ll have to wait for about 20 minutes into the show before it begins to come to life, and that’s thanks to the marvelous number given to Mr. Oscar and Mr. Ghee in “Make Me a Woman.” Whenever the show drags, not meant as a pun, the two are in place to give the show some transfusion. Another lovable character is Peter Bartlett as Mr. Jolly, a TV host for a children’s show.

With the book not being much help except as the blueprint for the musical, Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell have thrown in a lot of unnecessary fillers to differentiate themselves from the movie. You will find that out for yourself. Thanks to the genius of Jerry Zaks, he’s infused it with a lot of fun touches to make it pass for family entertainment.

In defense of Mr. McClure, his energy is boundless, his talents are endless and he transforms from Daniel to Mrs. Doubtfire with ease. Despite Mr. McClure’s many gifts, how can anyone compete with a phenomenon like the late Robin Williams?

Jenn Gambatese isn’t given much to do but be dour for most of the show, and the kids— instead of being naturals—are cloying Broadway kids.

As I said before, the show tries very hard to please, and out-of-towners will love it.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 9, 2021
Reviewed at December 8, 2021 press performance.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: (left to right) Avery Sell, Jake Ryan Flynn, Analise Scarpaci, Jenn Gambatese & Rob McClure. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: (left to right) J. Harrison Ghee, Brad Oscar, Charity Angél Dawson & Rob McClure. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: Brad Oscar, Rob McClure & J. Harrison Ghee. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: Jenn Gambatese & Rob McClure. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: Peter Bartlett. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: Rob McClure. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘MRS. DOUBTFIRE’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

The post ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ adaptation a crowd-pleaser appeared first on StageZine.

BEST MUSICAL SINCE ‘BOOK OF MORMON’: Michael James Scott (center) & cast of ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

SOMETHING ROTTEN!
Conceived by Karey Kirkpatrick and Wayne Kirkpatrick
Book by Karey Kirkpatrick & John O’Farrell
Music & lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick & Karey Kirkpatrick
Direction & choreography by Casey Nicholaw
St. James Theatre
246 West 44th Street
(212-239-6200), www.RottenBroadway.com

By David NouNou

As a critic, I have been waiting since March 30, 2011 to write the words “The best original new musical since The Book of Mormon.”

In the past 10 days, we have been bombarded by lugubrious, serious, dour, epically boring and not fun musicals that have left audiences begging for a riotous show that is funny, intelligent, clever, witty, splashy, and simply a joy to sit through, and this is what you will get with Something Rotten!. This is due to the hysterical book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell and a sublimely hummable score by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick. From the opening song “Welcome to the Renaissance,” to the likes of “God, I Hate Shakespeare,” “A Musical”, “Will Power,” “Hard to Be the Bard,” to “To Thine Own Self,” the melodies are still ringing in my head. I will concede the book is not irreverent as The Book of Mormon, but then what is? However, it pokes clever jabs at Shakespeare, his works, and almost every milestone musical of the 20th Century.

The Bottom Brothers, Nick (Brian d’Arcy James) and Nigel (John Cariani), haven’t been able to write a hit because they have been in the shadow of the Bard, William Shakespeare (Christian Borle). Nick, in dire straits and as a last resort, goes to a soothsayer, Nostradamus (Brad Oscar), and begs him to foresee what the next big thing is to write about. Nostradamus looks into the future and advises him to write “A Musical”; that’s what people will want to see in the future. Needless to say, this number is a showstopper to end all showstoppers, magnificently done by Mr. Oscar and the ensemble, and every song after that is one showstopper after another. If excess is a sin, then no one can do it better than Casey Nicholaw, from his deft and dazzling direction to his astounding dance routines. He lavishes us with these joyous excesses.

The performances are superior in every way: Brian d’Arcy James, as the down-on-his-luck older brother Nick Bottom in search of a new idea for a play, is a robust leading man who has full command of the stage and does a razor-sharp routine in “Bottom’s Gonna Be on Top” that brings the house down as well as the Act I curtain. John Cariani, as the younger brother Nigel, is the timid one with the brains that has to write the words for Nick’s plays and is in a less glorified role. Mr. Cariani acts and sings with solid conviction.

Now, to the show-stopping hams of the show: Christian Borle, as the preening and overly confident Shakespeare, gives another one of those Borlian scene-stealing, sinfully delicious performances as in the songs “Will Power,” a jazzed-up, hip, swinging rock star Will and his posse, and “Hard To Be the Bard” is full of double entendres. The trump card of the night is Brad Oscar’s performance as Nostradamus, the soothsayer. His predicting “A Musical” as the next big thing was a true crowd-pleaser. The rest of the comedic group were Brooks Ashmanskas, as a confused Puritan, with a lovely daughter Portia (Kate Reinders), the young lady who loves Nigel Bottom. There’s also Gerry Vichi, as Shylock the Jew, who wants to be a producer (and you know which Shakespeare play these two characters will end up in); Peter Bartlett as Lord Clapham who plays a benefactor of the arts; and Heidi Blickenstaff as Nick’s wife. All are giving wonderfully zany ensemble performances. The dancing ensemble are all first-rate, synchronized perfectionists.

The designers have outdone themselves—from the beautiful Elizabethan sets by Scott Pask, to the over-the-top costumes by Gregg Barnes and the mood-provoking lighting by Jeff Coitier—all set and anchor the scenes perfectly. You don’t have to be a Shakespearian pro to get all the goings on; you just have to be able to laugh at the misplaced famous Shakespearean quotes and recognize the brilliant placement of moments from iconic musicals to fully appreciate the magnificent job Casey Nicholaw has done. Forget about the doom and gloom of the pretentious musicals that have just opened. Instead, go to Something Rotten! and see “Something Wonderful.”

THE FUTURE IS ‘A MUSICAL’: Brad Oscar & Brian d’Arcy James in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

WILL POWER: Christian Borle as Shakespeare & the cast of ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

SPOOFING THE BROADWAY MUSICAL: Brian d’Arcy James & Brad Oscar (center, left to right) & cast of ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

ANOTHER SHOWSTOPPER: The cast of ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

THE BARD: Christian Borle in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

THE BOTTOM BROTHERS: John Cariani & Brian d’Arcy James in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

NICK BOTTOM & HIS TRUE LOVE, PORTIA: John Cariani & Kate Reinders in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

BROTHER JEREMIAH & PORTIA: Brooks Ashmankas & Kate Reinders in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

AT NICK & BEA’S HOUSE: (left to right) John Cariani, Brian d’Arcy James & Heidi Blickenstaff in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

BOTTOM’S ON TOP: Brian d’Arcy James in ‘Something Rotten!’ Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 1, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on April 30, 2015

The post ‘Something Rotten!’ smells hilarious appeared first on StageZine.