Mrs Doubtfire
Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: Shaftesbury Theatre, London
Cast: Gabriel Vick, Laura Tebbutt, Charlotte Fleming, Cameron Blakely, Marcus Collins, Matthew Goodgame, Micha Richardson and Ross Dawes

Out-of-work actor Daniel will do anything for his kids. After losing custody in a messy divorce, he creates the alter ego of Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire in a desperate attempt to stay in their lives. As his new character takes on a life of its own, Mrs. Doubtfire teaches Daniel more than he bargained for about how to be a father.

“Help is on the way, Dear!”

We were invited to celebrated the 1st "Nanniversary" performance of Mrs Doubtfire being on the West End. An what an epic event this was. A joyous BBQ with drinks and live music before the show began which was such a lovely way to celebrate this show thriving in London during difficult financial times. 

The production is showing at the Shaftesbury Theatre, and after a successful year, is currently booking up until 16th February 2025. The show is based on the classic 1993 film of the same name, starring the great Robin Williams (may he rest in peace). I’m sure if he was alive today, he would have loved the show, or maybe even been a part of it himself. 

I would say that absolutely everything about the show was impressive. The dynamic sets which really help elevate the story, and allow the actors to bring the show to life with ease. The music is great, very catchy and works really well and the choreography is simply wonderful and show-stopping. I also enjoyed that the production had also managed to modernise a thirty year old film. There is also a small amount of tap which was undoubtedly my favourite part. I adore tap, and I wish it was a skill I possessed myself.

My 11-year old son attended the production with me, and at the end of the show, Mrs Doubtfire, played by Gabriel Vick, is on their new agony-aunt style show, and a child writes in about her parents separation and whether it was her fault. Mrs Doubtfire responds, "some parents get on better when they don’t live together. They don’t fight all the time and they can become better people and much better mothers and fathers. And just because they don’t love each other anymore, doesn’t mean they don’t love you”. It was something my child really needed to hear, currently going through this himself, and this moment made me emotional in the very best way. It's just a wonderful show in regards to parents separating, because this really does affect our children more than we realise.

I thought the cast and the whole ensemble were just incredible. However, there were two outstanding performers for me. One of them being Gabriel Vick, who plays Mrs Doubtfire/Daniel. When he becomes Mrs Doubtfire I genuinely felt as though Robin Williams had taken over his body because it was just so eerily accurate! Gabriel really fully embodies the character and plays the role with the justice it deserves. His different range of voices were just epic, funny and brilliant - what a true talent this man has.

The second outstanding performer was Felicity Walton, who plays Natalie Hillard, the youngest child in the family. What a vocal range she has! I’ve never witnessed a child of her age with this talent before. Her voice was incredible, and her acting skills were flawless. This is her West End debut, however I feel she's definitely a star in the making - Felicity Walton is one to watch.

You don’t have to be familiar with the film to connect to the show; its a delightful, uplifting, musical comedy for the whole family.

You can book tickets to Mrs Doubtfire Musical, here.

Review by Sarah

**photo credit: Manuel Harlan**