MRS. DOUBTFIRE extends hiatus: returning to Broadway on April 14, 2022

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/18/22 at 2:07pm

From the NYT:

The musical, adapted from the popular 1993 film, has traveled a bumpy road: After an out-of-town run at 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle, it began previews on Broadway on March 9, 2020, just three days before the coronavirus pandemic forced all theaters to close. After a 19-month hiatus, the show resumed previews last October and opened Dec. 5, to mixed reviews, just as Omicron was causing cases to spike again.

“If there was an award for worst timing for a producer, I will take that award,” McCollum said. “My timing was terrible.”

Updated On: 2/18/22 at 02:07 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/18/22 at 2:08pm

Jinx. Just as I posted on the original hiatus thread. 

[aces25]

Posted: 2/18/22 at 2:10pm

Very disappointing. I had a trip and tickets planned for March Break. This seems too late to announce they are pushing it another month. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/18/22 at 2:19pm

aces25 said: "Very disappointing. I had a trip and tickets planned for March Break. This seems too late to announce they are pushing it another month."

Well, I imagine everyone's March grosses are looking a little gross these days. Might as well continue the hiatus into April when they can return with a bang (hopefully).

It returns on Passover & Easter weekend, which might not be the best timing? Or perhaps they're hoping for tourism since it's also the end of some school vacation weeks...

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/18/22 at 2:27pm

Probably smart to aim for April when Spring Break starts happening. It joins the other shows who were supposed to start in March but pushed to April. 

[BdwyFan]

Posted: 2/18/22 at 2:38pm

So is this now considered a revival? 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/18/22 at 2:39pm

Is that a serious question?

[ACL2006]

Posted: 2/18/22 at 2:54pm

Kudos for trying to keep this afloat, but they're probably looking to run April-August now. Do they go on another hiatus in September? Or just plan to tour the show with the Broadway set?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/18/22 at 3:55pm

They’ll probably close permanently in August - no more hiatuses - so they can focus on their upcoming Manchester Opera House production beginning in September (which may or may not precede a West End run), and plan to embark on a U.S. national tour, I would assume sometime in 2023. 

Updated On: 2/18/22 at 03:55 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 2/18/22 at 4:04pm

Not a great sign. 

[Mark_E]

Posted: 2/18/22 at 5:15pm

Frustrating.

Another one off the list for my March trip.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/18/22 at 5:32pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "They’ll probably close permanently in August - no more hiatuses - so they can focus on their upcoming Manchester Opera House production beginning in September (which may or may not precede a West End run), and plan to embark on a U.S. national tour, I would assume sometime in 2023."

What "focus?" Even if Zaks (or an associate) and the creative team do substantial rewrites ahead of that production, it wouldn't hurt anything onstage. Producers can multi-task (if McCollum is even lead producing the UK run). Either way, they probably open a non-union US tour in Q4 2023 or sometime in 2024. There will be decent stock/amateur interest, per usual with film-to-stage properties.

I, too, am of the belief that this closes sometime this summer if sales don't bounce back substantially, assuming that it probably isn't going to win any major Tonys. Best Actor seemed like a good bet before A STRANGE LOOP announced –– but as we know from Tootsie and Cher Show, lone acting awards hardly mean anything at the box office.

[BritCrit]

Posted: 2/21/22 at 7:08am

EDSOSLO858 said: "They’ll probably close permanently in August - no more hiatuses - so they can focus on their upcoming Manchester Opera House production beginning in September (which may or may not precede a West End run), and plan to embark on a U.S. national tour, I would assume sometime in 2023."

Considering that Doubtfire is based on a British novel (by an author called Anne Fine), it wouldn't surprise me if they focused on the UK production...

[MattieIce2018]

Posted: 2/25/22 at 4:17pm

Casting call posted yesterday for Natalie and Christopher - https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/MRS-DOUBTFIRE-Will-Hold-Video-Open-Call-for-Kids-8-12-20220224

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/25/22 at 4:21pm

MattieIce2018 said: "Casting call posted yesterday for Natalie and Christopher -https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/MRS-DOUBTFIRE-Will-Hold-Video-Open-Call-for-Kids-8-12-20220224"

Interesting that Avery and Jake are not continuing with the production. Should Mrs. Doubtfire record a cast album in the future, does anyone think they will be on it?

 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 2/25/22 at 4:33pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "They’ll probably close permanently in August - no more hiatuses - so they can focus on their upcoming Manchester Opera House production beginning in September (which may or may not precede a West End run), and plan to embark on a U.S. national tour, I would assume sometime in 2023."

What "focus?" Even if Zaks (or an associate) and the creative team do substantial rewrites ahead of that production, it wouldn't hurt anything onstage. Producers can multi-task (if McCollum is even lead producing the UK run). Either way, they probably open a non-union US tour in Q4 2023 or sometime in 2024. There will be decent stock/amateur interest, per usual with film-to-stage properties.

I, too, am of the belief that this closes sometime this summer if sales don't bounce back substantially, assuming that it probably isn't going to win any major Tonys. Best Actor seemed like a good bet before A STRANGE LOOP announced –– but as we know from Tootsie and Cher Show, lone acting awards hardly mean anything at the box office."

 

Years ago Boyd Gaines won a Tony for the first revival of SHE LOVES ME and the show closed two weeks later. Sad.

 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 2/25/22 at 5:13pm

I wonder how many of the original cast will return? That second postponement had to deter some from holding out until April for a job.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/25/22 at 6:06pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Interesting that Avery and Jake are not continuing with the production. Should Mrs. Doubtfire record a cast album in the future, does anyone think they will be on it?"

Nothing in that casting notice specifies when the kid actors are leaving the production; the NYT actually said that the producers offered every actor their job back. This is likely to seek out future replacements, understudies, etc. The boy is awfully tall and the relationship might be stronger with a younger kid in that part. Kids are typically on a shorter contract, so it might soon be time for them to exit the show anyway.

[fosterfan2]

Posted: 2/25/22 at 6:18pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "Interesting that Avery and Jake are not continuing with the production. ShouldMrs. Doubtfirerecord a cast album in the future, does anyone think they will be on it?"

Nothing in that casting notice specifieswhenthe kid actors are leaving the production; the NYT actually said that the producers offered every actor their job back. This is likely to seek out future replacements, understudies, etc. The boy is awfully tall and the relationship might be stronger with a younger kid in that part. Kids are typically on a shorter contract, so it might soon be time for them to exit the show anyway."

I wonder if they've aged out of their roles? That must be one of the hardest parts of being a child actor.

 

Updated On: 2/25/22 at 06:18 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/25/22 at 6:27pm

fosterfan2 said: "I wonder if they've aged out of their roles? That must be one of the hardest parts of being a child actor."

If the production wants the characters to remain a certain age, then they've definitely aged out and were probably only rehired post-COVID because that would look pretty sh*tty to let them go. Flynn and Sell were in the readings of it 3 years ago; she was still tiny when I saw it in December, but he very much looks/sounds like a teenage boy with a changing voice. It worked fine but may not be how the production wants to move forward.

This also may just be optimism, since if sales don't improve upon reopening then everyone will be out of work.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 4/24/22 at 9:30am

FYI, just noticed that TodayTix is showing seats starting at $12. I didn't see any through September on the app , but I checked on the website, and there are indeed $12 mezzanine seats on Friday, October 7. Whether or not the show is still open by then is another matter, and I wouldn't put it past TodayTix to cancel the orders anyway. I probably would have bought one for sh*ts and giggles if there weren't $12.50 in fees, but if anyone else is interested, they're there.