Zaks & ROTTEN! team to work on DOUBTFIRE musical

[jacobsnchz14]

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Breaking-Jerry-Zaks-Will-Bring-MRS-DOUBTFIRE-Musical-to-Broadway-John-OFarrell-Karey-and-Wayne-Kirkpatrick-Join-Creative-Team-20180828

 

Fox Stage Productions and Kevin McCollum have announced the creative team for the new Broadway-bound musical MRS. DOUBTFIRE. Four-time Tony Award Winner Jerry Zaks, (most recently represented on Broadway by the hit revival of Hello, Dolly!) will direct, joined by Tony Award Nominees (for Something Rotten!) John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick (book) and Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick (music and lyrics).

[Kad]

They had me at Zaks but lost me with the writers.

[Valentina3]

Need more women on the team. This story needs a woman's voice to modernize it :/

PS - Norbert Leo Butz for the lead, yes?

[TNick926]

Norbert would win another Tony in this role!!

 

[bwayphreak234]

Kad said: "They had me at Zaks but lost me with the writers."

Same.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Exciting team!

[Gink]

Valentina3 said: "Need more women on the team. This story needs a woman's voice to modernize it :/

PS - Norbert Leo Butz for the lead, yes?"

 

Norbert would be great--he was so funny in Is he Dead?.

 

 

[BroadwayBeebe]

If I remember correctly, McClure led the last reading when it was still going to be a Menken score. I wouldn’t be surprised if he continued with this team considering how long he did Rotten with them for. I think Zaks is a great choice for this project and I can see where the skepticism about the Something Rotten team comes in. I think that they could do something really wonderful with this though. They certainly have the whismy, but some pieces of Rotten including parts that were cut in previews showed real heart and variance in their writing style.

[carolinaguy]

I could see Brian D'Arcy James as the lead. The writing team is suspect, though.

[jbp1232]

Norbert Leo Butz or Brian D'Arcy James would both be great, but I'm hoping for Christopher Fitzgerald.

[RippedMan]

See I think "Something Rotten" is pretty good musically. It's tuneful and some funny lyrics. I think the show sorta derails in the second half. All of Shakespeare's music should be changed. Those songs are awful. 

But I think this could be a lot of fun.

[Regem10]

Didn't they already announce this as taking the Marquis Theater in mid April?

[BroadwayConcierge]

Something Rotten! was delightful.

[barcelona20]

BroadwayConcierge said: "Something Rotten! was delightful."

More like delightfully moronic.  There were a few good numbers though.

[ntrackbar]

I agree - I don't hate the team. I guess I was one of the few that truly loved Something Rotten. 

[bfreak]

While I may be proven wrong, at this point I do not like this concept. The creatives are good, but the source material relied so much on that one iconic performance, that I feel anyone may feel underwhelming as the lead and the show could be stale. Tootsie I'm fine with, not in love with this project. Wishing for more truly original musicals to come to Broadway.

[BwayLB]

Kad said: "They had me at Zaks but lost me with the writers."

 

I feel the same way since first of all I saw Zaks work as director in the national tour of Sister Act five years ago. Second of all I was looking forward to Alan Menken co-writing the score with his Hercules partner David Zippel as well as Harvey Fierstein writing the book. Last how Mrs Doubtfire is executed should be interesting.

 

[Kad]

I just think it's a shame that there's a generation of young musical theatre writers that get passed over for new musicals like these in favor of established people with little or no theatre background.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

jbp1232 said: "Norbert Leo Butz or Brian D'Arcy James would both be great, but I'm hoping for Christopher Fitzgerald."

I LOVE the sound of that. Would easily be another Tony nom for Fitzgerald. 

[cliffordbradshaw2]

There has already been a stage musical version of "Mrs. Doubtfire," in Italy and in Italian, in 1999, with one of Italy's biggest musical theater stars, Enrico Montesano.  There's a cast recording on CD.

[SomethingPeculiar]

The brothers started writing SOMETHING ROTTEN in the 1990s, began collaborating with co-bookwriter John O'Farrell in 2010, and it premiered on Broadway in 2015... so this could still be many years off, unless this announcement means they've got a draft done and are gearing up for a reading? 

I am curious about how much of Something Rotten's sound was their own, or the work of the music arranger Glen Kelly (who famously turned the Producers and Mormon tunes into showstoppers).

[Broadway Geek2]

Mrs. Doubtfire AND Tootsie ??

[Different Drum]

The attack of the killer Hollywood movie adaptation continues unabated.

[ntrackbar]

bfreak said: "While I may be proven wrong, at this point I do not like this concept. The creatives are good, but the source material relied so much on that one iconic performance, that I feel anyone may feel underwhelming as the lead and the show could be stale. Tootsie I'm fine with, not in love with this project. Wishing for more truly original musicals to come to Broadway."

THAT is my big hesitation.

[GiantsInTheSky2]

jbp1232 said: "Norbert Leo Butz or Brian D'Arcy James would both be great, but I'm hoping for Christopher Fitzgerald."

I LOVE the sound of that. Would easily be another Tony nom for Fitzgerald.