The cast of Mrs. Doubtfire takes the stage with Mrs. Doubtfire at center. The touring Broadway production runs Sept. 22-27 at Bass Concert Hall in Austin. Photo by Joan Marcus
This year, the Broadway in Austin season begins not with a bang but a great big hug as Mrs. Doubtfire takes to the Bass Concert Hall stage.
Retracing the unforgettable steps of Robin Williams in the film version of Mrs. Doubtfire, the critically acclaimed stage play brings humor, grace and a whole lot of heart to audiences across the country. Like the movie, the play centers on out-of-work actor Daniel Hillard as he struggles through a messy divorce to figure out the best way to stay in the lives of his kids. Since he’s lost custody of his children, he creates a Mary Poppins-esque nanny named Euphegenia Doubtfire who swoops in to take care of his family. As his new character takes on new life, Daniel learns more about being a father than he ever bargained for.
“It’s a beautiful family show,” said Kennedy Jackson, the actor playing the role of Wanda Sellner, the no-nonsense social worker assigned to the Hillard family’s case. “[It’s] a comedy about family coming together, and seeing a father doing all that he can to be with his children.”
For Jackson, for whom Mrs. Doubtfire is her national tour debut, the role of Wanda has let her explore familial ties of her own. Her grandmother was a social worker for 40 years, which enabled Jackson to bring her unique perspective to Wanda Sellner.
“It was a full-circle moment for me,” Jackson said. “I’ve seen it firsthand through my grandmother, in the office, and the families she had to deal with. Playing this role in a comedic way has been relieving to me.”
By drawing from her grandmother’s experience, Jackson was able to portray Sellner with the same competence and professionalism that comes with the job, but she was also able to share in the humor that keeps a person sane in a 40-year career.
“Wanda is the strong pillar in the chaos of it all,” Jackson said. “But she does have some fun with the Hillard family. She is very by the book, making sure she’s doing her job. But what breaks this rhythm is meeting Daniel Hillard, who is an outlier from the Dads she’s met before.”
For Jackson, keeping the strait-laced persona of Wanda Sellner proved to be a fun challenge in the live adaptation of the story because Craig Allen Smith, who plays Daniel/Mrs. Doubtfire, brought his wild, kinetic energy to the stage.
“It’s been so fun to play the seriousness,” she said. “There were some moments in rehearsal when we had to stop because Craig was just so funny. We’d just say, ‘hold on, I need a moment,’ and then just laugh.”
Jackson recalled the iconic moment with the pie, which — if you’ve seen the movie — you’ll be right to anticipate.
“Anything can happen on stage with the whipped cream,” Jackson laughed. “It keeps us all on our toes. I know audiences will enjoy it.”
That’s not all Jackson believes the audience will enjoy. It is her belief that one of the most enduring messages of the play, beyond the costumes and the makeup and the comedy, is that it shows us all the different varieties of what a family can be.
“We see this father going to great comedic lengths to be in his kids’ lives,” Jackson said. “And it can help people in the audience heal with their inner child. It’s okay that my uncle or my aunt took care of me. The whole prayer for us is that all our audience members leave the theater feeling lighter, brighter and full of joy. It’s a reminder to always lead with love. And that everything will be all right.”
Texas Performing Arts presents Huntington Bank Broadway in Austin’s Mrs. Doubtfire Sept. 22-27, Tuesday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m.
Tickets start at $42 and are available at TexasPerformingArts.org and BroadwayinAustin.com, by phone at 512-471-1444 or from the Texas Performing Arts ticket office at Bass Concert Hall. For groups of 10 or more, call 512-232-3830 or email groupsales@texasperformingarts.org.