BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Rob McClure plays Daniel Hillard and Mrs. Doubtfire. Maggie Lakis appears as Miranda Hillard. In real life, they are married and are now teaming up for this national Mrs. Doubtfire tour.
“Mrs. Doubtfire, the musical!”, declared the stars of the show.
Rob McClure plays Daniel Hillard and Mrs. Doubtfire. Maggie Lakis appears as Miranda Hillard. In real life, they are married and are now teaming up for this national Mrs. Doubtfire tour kicking off right here at Shea’s Buffalo.
“This facility in particular, there are certain places you go when you tour where you feel the history and this is definitely one of them,” McClure noted.
“And there's just these gorgeous, beautiful ornate houses that we just love they don't make anymore,” reflected Lakis.
Albert Nocciolino, presenting producing partner of Shea’s Broadway Series, tells me having Buffalo launch Mrs. Doubtfire is an amazing advantage for the local economy.
“We’re thrilled. There are over 100 people in town. They are staying in hotel rooms. They're eating three meals a day. They're hiring local stagehands, wardrobes, and buying supplies here in town. They'll spend a couple of million dollars while they're here. Use any kind of an equation that you want, but it's a significant economic impact as it multiplies itself in our community,” Nocciolino commented.
“Hello dearies!”, the voice of McClure on stage.
The musical is based on the famous film featuring two Hollywood legends, the late, great Robin Williams and Sally Field.
I asked both stars of this Broadway show what is it like to recreate such iconic roles.
“It’s terrifying, right? I’m as big a fan of Robin Williams as anyone right? So that responsibility, I don't take lightly, and you can feel like you can feel the audience there's a moment in the beginning where you can feel them all go please don't break the thing I love -- please don't break the thing I love,” replied McClure. "And then there's a moment when the Mrs. Doubtfire voice arrives, and Mrs. Doubtfire character arrives. they feel the audience sign the permission slip. it's like they go you know what? for the next two and a half hours we'll let you be this character."
“To try to step into Sally Fields, she's a national treasure, so it's a bit daunting, but what I really love about the musical is it gives us a chance to kind of see things a little more from Miranda’s side,” Lakis responded.
Both lead cast members tell me this musical will take you places the movie didn't.
“You're also going to get the iconic moments,” McClure explained. “But the curveballs are what makes it a great musical. Right, so the fact that that crazy sequence when Robin Williams is trying to figure out how to cook dinner for his family with those lobsters and lights his body on fire -- that fodder for a great song.
The musical still features those zany Mrs. Doubtfire transformations, and in real-time, they're quick!
“And we do the full transformation in and out of Mrs. Doubtfire 31 times a show and the longest I have to get into it is 90 seconds and the shortest,” described McClure.
Lakis said was amazing to see her husband transformed into Mrs. Doubtfire.
“I’ve been rehearsing with Rob wearing glasses and the glasses were the stand-in for the whole outfit, so the first day that I got to see Mrs. Doubtfire in full was really it's such a transformation. It really is incredible,” Lakis remarked.
Since the show opened at Shea's Sunday, the actors love the Buffalo audience.
“What’s so wonderful about Buffalo is it's we're so close. There's this great dichotomy of people and families coming in and I feel like the show -- the sweet spot is families. It is a family show,” Lakis reflected.
“On Sunday night, you know having this huge, we call it surfing laughs in this show because laughs you know, you get the laughs from the orchestra and then you go to say the next line, but the laugh from the mezzanine comes, so you wait, and then the last one the balcony comes and you go okay, wait, wait let them laugh. But with this show, and particularly Buffalo audiences, I hope then transfers to the rest of the country,” McClure commented. “Hearing the sound specifically of kids laughing yeah. kids laughing and their grandparents laughing. and then they laugh at different things. and those family audiences we cherish them."
There are still tickets remaining for the rest of the week's 7:30 p.m. shows and for the Saturday shows at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
