One Last Bow: MRS. DOUBTFIRE Takes Her Leave in Germany

Final curtain call for the prickly Scottish nanny in Germany: "Mrs. Doubtfire" takes its leave as a true emotional tour de force, studded with exuberant choreography, a superb ensemble, immaculate sound and visuals—and an abundance of heart. In the all-consuming title role, Thomas Hohler and Dustin Smailes appear to have found the roles of their lives. It is both a joyful and tearful goodbye for this excellent production. The stage set and props move on across the English Channel to be used for the upcoming UK tour—and judging from the meticulously crafted production in Germany, this musical should be a massive hit on tour!

This replica production from Broadway and London’s West End has been transferred, with minor adjustments, flawlessly to the boards of Düsseldorf’s Capitol Theater, well-equipped for the demands of touring. Brian Ronan’s elaborate sound design holds a wealth of surprises, including a live-performed number with a loop station that is genuinely thrilling. Philip S. Rosenberg’s lighting design is equally peerless: rarely is a musical sculpted with such intricate precision in its use of light as "Mrs. Doubtfire". His concept is instrumental in generating the emotional charge of many key scenes, time and again astonishing and beguiling.

David Korins’s cinematic, lovingly crafted set combines apartment interiors lifted from the cult film with various backdrop screens descending from the flies. Catherine Zuber’s costume design likewise resurrects the film, perfectly reproducing the iconic look of Mrs. Doubtfire while dressing every other character with meticulous attention to detail and humour. Not only the smoking, singed blouse—charred during Daniel’s disastrous cooking attempts—feels lifted straight from the movie. It is a tour de force to devise a costume design that enables the leading man to execute countless lightning-fast transformations from man to Scottish housekeeper and back again. These hair-raising quick changes from Daniel Hillard to Euphegenia “Effie” Doubtfire frequently occur live on stage—complete with facial mask, makeshift padding, a suggested fat suit, and layered, homespun granny attire.

Yet the costume must still afford the protagonist freedom of movement, for Doubtfire repeatedly joins Lorin Latarro’s high-octane choreography—including breakdancing. Seldom do contemporary musicals employ choreography as differentiated, virtuoso, and stylistically hybrid as this. Tap, voguing, hip-hop, flamenco, contemporary, classic Broadway show dance with echoes of Busby Berkeley, Gillian Lynne, and Bob Fosse—the dances leave nothing to be desired, nor does their execution by the stellar ensemble, led by dance captain Calum Flynn.

Jerry Zaks’s directorial approach proves fully effective in Düsseldorf: the story is told briskly and seamlessly, following the familiar film narrative with engaging clarity. The arc of tension is sustained throughout, and the audience delights in following Daniel, a.k.a. Mrs. Doubtfire, on his exhilarating and emotional odyssey. Despite the tight pacing, Zaks masterfully creates space, through well-judged deceleration, for large emotions at precisely the right moments—again and again moving the audience to tears. John O’Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick’s book unfolds here with even greater impact than in the West End, thanks to the outstanding cast. Through a character-focused direction, this laugh-out-loud script becomes a plea for familial cohesion, humanity, and love—and it strikes straight to the heart.

Johannes Deny, Ruth Deny, and Kevin Schroeder succeed in translating both the book and the lyrics by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick into German with a profound sense of tone and considerable emotional finesse. With a keen awareness of the local audience, they have especially adapted the jokes and Daniel’s rapturously received impersonations: as in the original, Kermit and Miss Piggy make an appearance, but Otto Waalkes, Marcel Reich-Ranicki, and Heidi Klum also join the barrage of parody.

Under Joe Schmitz’s baton, the eight-piece band plays the score with virtuosity and punch, yet with the requisite sensitivity. The twelve-member ensemble sings, acts, and dances with virtuosity and a seamless synergy easily comparable to Broadway and the West End. Every member of the cast gets their moment to shine, and they seize it to full effect, always delivering with pinpoint precision. From the high-spirited YouTube influencer Amy (Tiziana Turano) and the eccentric chef Louis (Julian Schier) to secret dance sensation and youth idol Loopy Lenny (Daniel Delyon), the iconic Donna Summer (Anna Tarcy), Grace Kelly (Marlen Praxmarer), Cher (Daisy Quainton), and a stage incarnation of Oscar Wilde (Giovanni Corrado), every ensemble member is cast to perfection and merits an ovation of their own for the demands of this musical, as each of these mentioned roles represents only one of a plethora of characters embodied by every performer in this dynamic show.

Throughout the run, the energetic squad of swings—Kevin Gordon Valentine, Lisa Wissert, Teya Quarmine, Julia Waldmayer, Laya Höfling, and Calum Flynn—deliver remarkable work; this show demands the highest degree of flexibility and meticulous precision from its swings, covers, and walk-ins in each and every role. As ensemble members and covers of various demanding roles, Francesco Alimonti, Jack Walker, Steven Armin Novak, and Dani Spampinato, who were not on for the final shows on April 12, also deserve praise for helping shape this production over the past six months with their dedicated performances.

The final performance is filled with joyous clapping along, frenetic applause, and laughter, which the cast receives in abundance on ist closing night—comedic showstoppers galore! Mark van Beelen’s Mr. Jolly is a delightfully cranky, endearing TV grandpa whose best days on screen are long past. His fine sense of comedic timing is nothing short of masterful. Anneka Dacres, as media mogul Janet Lundy, has little to laugh about; dry and cynical, she barely changes expression regardless of the onstage chaos—precisely this masterfully played contrast makes her performance so amusing, as Lundy herself obviously believes she has a great sense of humour but never cracks a smile until the very end of the story, when her character snaps delightfully. Pure comedy gold!

Lilian Nikolic steals the show, in the best sense, as the flamenco singer: in the final escalation to “Er log mich an,” where Daniel must dart frantically between his roles in the restaurant “La Rosa” to keep his double life from unraveling, Nikolic sings and dances her heart out. In flamenco style, she laments a lost love and unleashes anger and wrath, while Daniel desperately tries to salvage what he has built. This collision of wildly exaggerated telenovela melodrama with a tangible conflict is arguably the show’s strongest comic scene.

Tamara Wörner portrays the stern, unyielding social worker Wanda Sellner, who becomes a kind of nemesis to Daniel and relishes the role with intensity. In the nightmare-like sequence “Du spielst mit dem Feuer,” where Sellner and a handful of Doubtfire clones circle him menacingly as his masquerade tightens its grip, Wörner also demonstrates her vocal prowess. Her dry demeanour in itself gives rise to some of the funniest moments of the narrative, earning her mid-scene applause for her perfect delivery. Christian Funk renders Stuart Dunmire—the muscular new flame of Daniel’s ex-wife—approachable and likable. In “Keine Chance, nein!” he engages in a delightful sparring match with Mrs. Doubtfire, culminating in a comically absurd self-celebration with his gym bros.

Frank Hillard and his partner André Mayem are played in perfect symbiosis by Nicolas Tenerani and Malick Afocozi. With their expressive quirks and warmly sensible counsel, they quickly become audience favourites and recurrent rescuers in moments of crisis. They command the stage with flamboyance, and their number “Ich muss ’ne Frau sein” is a highlight: during the song, Daniel is transformed into Mrs. Doubtfire as inspirations for the drag persona appear in the flesh—a piece of theatrical cinema at its finest. Tenerani plays out Frank’s quirks, most notably his need to shout and scream when lying—which he has to do frequently—with comedic perfection. Afocozi’s character is fierce and theatrical in the best possible ways: his devotion and hyperfixation on Donna Summer and Jennifer Holliday, as well as his expressive acting amid the chaos his brother-in-law puts him through, are as impressive as his fantastic singing.

The child performers are a revelation—nineteen children have been cast, and all of them deliver powerful performances, with a bright stage future ahead. The honour of opening the show at its premiere and closing it with a stellar final performance was granted to two extraordinary child performers: Mika brings energetic authenticity to the tough Christopher Hillard, while Greta movingly portrays the young Natalie, struggling with her parents’ separation. Alongside their older sister Lydia—outstandingly embodied and sung by Alina Simon—they drive the family narrative forward; with “Was für’n Scheiß,” they sing and dance their way straight into the audience’s hearts at the outset. Simon is deeply affecting in “Einfach so tun” toward the end, when even the seemingly grown-up eldest cannot suppress her childlike fears of separation. Jessica Kessler portrays mother Miranda with warmth and temperament. Where the film counterpart and the West End casting failed to strip Miranda of her antagonistic edge, Kessler achieves this seemingly effortlessly through nuanced, authentic acting. Though the audience primarily perceives the family crisis through Daniel’s restless attempts to remain close to his children, Kessler renders her character’s perspective—also vocally, in “Frei in deiner Haut” and “Lass los”—both moving and comprehensible.

During the last six months, I (the reviewer) was able to experience some remarkable cover performances which, in retrospect, following the final curtain fall, cannot go unmentioned: Kevin Gordon Valentine’s and Dani Spampinato’s equally funny portrayals of Mr. Jolly, Mark van Beelen’s sympathetic version of Stu, Teya Quarmine’s on-point delivery of Janet Lundy, Marlen Praxmarer’s and Laya Höfling’s youthfully rebellious yet touchingly vulnerable takes on Lydia, Daniel Delyon as a flamboyant Andre, Julian Schier's hysterically funny Frank and Julia Waldmayer’s and Tiziana Turano’s passionate interpretations of Miranda once again showed that first cast and second cast do not entail any loss of performative quality or excellence.

Ultimately, Thomas Hohler and Dustin Smailes are the undisputed stars of the final performances. How they manage to fill this physically and dramatically all-consuming role with such overwhelming verve is nothing short of astonishing. The dual role of Daniel and Mrs. Doubtfire is arguably the most demanding male part in musical theatre on every level: Hohler and Smailes not only sing superbly (notably in “Ich wäre gern da” and “Sie ist glücklich”) and dance—even breakdancing—the show’s most intricate and rapid choreography, but remain almost constantly electrified through their countless quick changes and relentless costume transformations. Bringing distinct details to both the comedy and the tragedy of their respective “Effie,” Smailes and Hohler generate entirely different, yet equally affecting experiences. They both excel in the Robin Williams role, honed to comedic perfection, while also rendering the drama and tragedy of the character with deeply moving poignancy. It seems only fitting to say: here, both Thomas Hohler and Dustin Smailes are performing the roles of their lives.

That "Mrs. Doubtfire" is more than a mere film adaptation—that beyond its fantastic comedy it contains substance and a great deal of heart—becomes unmistakably clear in the finale, “Weil nichts als Liebe bleibt.” Uplifted, enraptured, and profoundly moved, the audience celebrates this beautiful cast and show one last time, moving the ensemble to tears from the final scenes onward until the end of the curtain call. Artistic director Michelle Escaño salutes the entire cast and crew for producing this masterpiece, which moved audiences to tears of joy and emotion, leaving behind perfect audience satisfaction, outstanding reviews, and a wealth of beautiful memories.

This musical is among the best that have ever graced German stages. Bound for the UK and Ireland, "Mrs. Doubtfire" embarks on a tour from August 2026 through 2027, with audiences in Germany wishing for a return of their beloved show in the future—and a spark of hope for a recording of this uniquely flawless cast. Fans leave the theatre to celebrate the cast at the stage door one last time, resonating with the show's final premise: "Weil nichts als Liebe bleibt - As long as there is love"!

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