LAST year I flew to Chicago to see the pre-Broadway run of a musical based on a beloved film about a man who dresses in drag, deceives those around him, and becomes a better man because of it.
THIS year I fly to Seattle to see the pre-Broadway run of a musical based on a beloved film about a man who dresses in drag, deceives those around him, and becomes a better man because of it.
We see Doubtfire Dec 14. I adore Rob McClure, and have to say I'm looking forward to this more than Tootsie. Tootsie didn't work for me on stage, but I expect Doubtfire will given the theme of wanting/needing to be part of your kids' lives. It's a more accessible theme to the general public than a struggling actor looking for work.
As for McClure being in Williams' shadow, sure there will be comparison, but in a similar way, JMI and others have made Aladdin's Genie their own. I think the theater going crowd is open to seeing other interpretations of an iconic role.
As an aside, as I think about how closely the musical will follow the film, there is an interesting YouTube video with some outtakes that had Field and Williams acting very bitter and angry toward each other. If I recall, those scenes were dropped because test audiences reacted so negatively in the context of the comedy and love elsewhere in the film. I'm sure those scenes won't be in the musical.