Interview: Craig Allen Smith of MRS. DOUBTFIRE at THEATRE UNDER THE STARS

Craig Allen Smith is taking on one of the most recognizable comedic roles in recent movie history as Daniel Hilliard/Mrs. Doubtfire in the national tour of Mrs. Doubtfire The Musical, coming to Houston’s Hobby Center October 13 through 25, presented by Theatre Under The Stars. It is based on the beloved 1993 film starring Robin Williams, the musical features a score by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell. For Smith, the opportunity to play Daniel Hilliard is particularly meaningful. He grew up loving the movie and saw it repeatedly in theaters with his best friend. The actor spoke with BroadwayWorld writer Brett Cullum about stepping into Robin Williams’ shoes, the surprisingly streamlined transformation into Mrs. Doubtfire, his life on the road, and what the musical has taught him about family, love, and being present in the moment.

BRETT CULLUM: How did Mrs. Doubtfire become a musical, and how did you end up joining the tour?

Craig Allen Smith: I don't know its origin story. I know they test-ran it in, I think, Seattle, and then Jerry Zaks was directing it on Broadway. Some friends of mine, after the Equity Tour did their thing, the non-Equity tour was coming through, and a friend of mine was like, “Hey, you should audition for this.” And I was like, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. I'll see about it.” Then it just kind of came down the pike. I got an EcoCast on Actors Access, and I threw out an audition.  The whole way, I've been telling people I had no thoughts that this would ever become a reality. I was just like, “It's not gonna happen.” There are too many actors, too many fish in the sea in this regard. But here I am.

BRETT CULLUM: And you're playing Daniel Hilliard, who becomes Mrs. Doubtfire. That's a pretty incredible opportunity.

Craig Allen Smith: It's wild. I love this show. I've always loved the movie. I must have seen the movie about five times in the movie theater with my best friend. Robin Williams just holds a special place in my heart, so it's an honor to be able to do this, even just for him.

BRETT CULLUM: The original movie obviously wasn't a musical. What is the music like?

Craig Allen Smith: Karey Kirkpatrick put together a beautiful score. There are a lot of heartfelt songs. I sing “I Wanna Be There,” and it's during the court scene. It's Daniel singing about how he just wants to be there for his kids no matter what, because he's been with them every day of their lives. Then Miranda Sings a beautiful song called “Let Go,” and it's about her process as a mother, how she came to the decision of ultimately getting a divorce, and how that was the best thing for herself at the time. Then there are fun musical numbers like “Easy Peasy” and “The Shape of Things,” which feature the ensemble. There's a lot of great dancing, either hip-hop dancing or tap dancing, so it runs the gamut of musical genres.

BRETT CULLUM: And “Make Me a Woman” and “Easy Peasy” are some of the big numbers, right?

Craig Allen Smith: Yeah. “Make Me a Woman,” “Easy Peasy,” “The Shape of Things” — they're heavy ensemble numbers. They're a lot of fun to watch.

BRETT CULLUM: Speaking of “Make Me a Woman,” I saw a video of your transformation. What you have to go through looks incredible. How fast do they have to do that?

Craig Allen Smith: I think you were watching the time-lapse video where they put all the pieces on. That took like four hours to do in the makeup chair. That's what Robin Williams had to go through every day for the film. I can only imagine what that process is like. But I imagine when you're getting that kind of money, you just sit there and keep your mouth shut. For this process, they actually 3D-scanned my face and created a prosthetic mask that just snaps on. Throw the wig on, and I can get in and out of costume in like 30 seconds.

BRETT CULLUM: Is it comfortable?

Craig Allen Smith: Yeah. Literally, the first time I put it on, it just feels like a second skin. It's wild. It's a weird feeling. I thought it would take some getting used to, but actually the wig and the bodysuit took more getting used to because it was just the feel of it and how to move in that costume. But the mask was pretty seamless. The neck has some mobility issues. I can't really turn my head that much, so I have to be like Batman and turn my body to the side if I want to look.

BRETT CULLUM: Who knew? Batman and Mrs. Doubtfire have the same problem.

Craig Allen Smith: Exactly.

BRETT CULLUM: You're obviously playing a role created by Robin Williams. How did you approach stepping into such an iconic performance?

Craig Allen Smith: I didn't feel that much pressure in terms of that because everybody knows the movie and loves the movie, and so do I. So that respect is there. We pay tribute to those nostalgic moments that everybody knows and loves. But at the end of it, I worked with the director, Steve Endlin, and we just came to the conclusion that he's just a dad. He's not the best dad because he lets his kids do whatever they want, and he wasn't there for his wife like he should have been. But through the process of becoming Mrs. Doubtfire, he learns from the mistakes he made as a father and is able to correct them as a different person, learning and growing through the experience.

I think that's more what we focused on. Because of that — and that's what Robin Williams did when he made the movie — I think that just translates to the stage. A lot of people come out, and they're like, “I had low expectations for this, but you really surpassed it.” I'm like, “Thanks for the backhanded compliment, I guess.” I know I can't be Robin Williams, but to be able to do it is just fun to do.

BRETT CULLUM: How different is the musical from the movie?

Craig Allen Smith: Obviously, the musical numbers flesh it out. They also open it up. Frank and Andre are a married couple, so they do talk about their relationship. This has a more modern feel. I use an iPhone and iPad, and I talk to Siri at some point. So they do bring it to the present day.

BRETT CULLUM: Was there any trepidation about bringing a 1993 film into the present day?

Craig Allen Smith: There actually was more trepidation because when I met with Steve, the director, I knew that Rob McClure on Broadway had done an amazing job. But I personally didn't watch any of his work. They post bootlegs and stuff online, so you can find shows and things, but I purposely didn't watch that because I'm such a sponge, and I would have soaked up what he was doing. Steve was like, “That's great. We can just do a fresh take.” A lot of it, from the bits themselves, lends itself to what the movie did. I didn't want to get in my head so much because there was just so much work to do. I just dove into the work.

BRETT CULLUM: Tell me a little bit about you. How did you first get into acting?

Craig Allen Smith: I was in high school. My best friend pulled me aside and he's like, “Hey, we're gonna do the high school musical.” I was like, “All right, that's cool.” I was in choir, and before that, I was in plays through elementary school. I think I did A Raisin in the Sun in middle school. Then in high school, we did Anything Goes, and I played one of the prisoners. I said a line, “I bet pants,” and I stood up and started to drop my pants, and it went to black out. Everybody started laughing. At that point, I was just like, “Oh my gosh, this is a high I need to chase my whole life now.”

BRETT CULLUM: Did you study acting in college?

Craig Allen Smith: I followed my old high school girlfriend to college. I got accepted to the University of the Arts, but because I was in love, I had to go follow my high school girlfriend to college. She wanted to become a Christian missionary. I wanted to be an actor. After that first year of college, we went our separate ways, and I ended up studying English. So I got an English degree, which is ironic. But it's been great because reading scripts, you're able to decipher and figure out what the characters want and things.

I learned a lot coming back every summer. I would do a show at a community theater, and I met a mentor. His name was Ron Jacoby. He's passed away, but he was on Broadway when he was 12. He grew up in New York, he was friends with James Dean, he knew Marlon Brando, he was friends with Martin Landau. So he knew a lot about theater and acting, and he passed that on to me. I love him for it. I'll never forget him for that.

BRETT CULLUM: Have you ever done stand-up comedy?

Craig Allen Smith: No. It terrifies me.

BRETT CULLUM: Really?

Craig Allen Smith: I would have to write it all out like a character and then basically learn it as a monologue. I love stand-up comedy. I watch a lot of stand-up, but those guys and ladies, their lives are just rough at the beginning until you can hit that bar. That's not a life I envy. I like to hide behind a character and a script and scenery.

BRETT CULLUM: What characters have you particularly enjoyed hiding behind?

Craig Allen Smith: I did Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls. I did Bella Zangler. I love Noises Off. I got to play Gary Roger, and that was so much fun. I played the dad in A Christmas Story. I love that and would love to do that again. I played Mr. Green in Clue the Musical, which is much different from Clue the play.

BRETT CULLUM: You've been with the Mrs. Doubtfire tour since it began?

Craig Allen Smith: Yeah. We opened in Boston in 2025, and we're still going. It's awesome. You think you kind of get into the same routine and things would just die down and become dull, and there's never a dull moment. Especially with this show, there's just so much happening that if one thing goes wrong, if you start thinking about that, then you've missed five other things that have just happened or are going to happen. So you constantly have to be in the present moment. It's great. It's teaching you to be in the present moment, which is awesome.

BRETT CULLUM: It sounds like quite a workout.

Craig Allen Smith: Yeah, it's a marathon and it's my workout every day, but it's so much fun. And then the audience reactions are just amazing. It's incredible. I've never had this many people who are hollering for a show in my life. So it's incredible.

BRETT CULLUM: What do you think Mrs. Doubtfire says to audiences? What's the message of the show?

Craig Allen Smith: I think it tells people, especially — I've never known of a show that deals with family, separated families, and whatever that looks like for each individual. No matter what, as long as you have people in your lives that you love and they love you back, no matter what that looks like, I think that's important. Everybody should have that. Whatever your family looks like, as long as there's love that you have in your heart for each person, that's all that matters.

BRETT CULLUM: You've played a female-presenting role before, but is there something different about playing Mrs. Doubtfire?

Craig Allen Smith: I played Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and he ends up playing a female-presenting role at some point in the play. I've always loved that. I think it's fun. My wife is a makeup artist. She dolled me up and made me look like Alice, and she played the Mad Hatter. So I don't mind wearing heels. I think it's a lot of fun. For Mrs. Doubtfire to be able to pass on that endearing, nurturing, motherly feeling is a lot of fun. It's a different choice than I've ever been able to play as an actor because I'm usually the male, tough guy. That endearing quality is so much fun to play.

BRETT CULLUM: Finally, what's your favorite number in the show — the one audiences should really be watching for?

Craig Allen Smith: I think “Easy Peasy” stands out because that's the big Broadway tap number. It features the ensemble and everybody's great in that. There are a lot of funny moments, and there's great dancing. It tells the story, too. Daniel's trying to cook dinner for his family and he's just learning how to go through that whole process. So I think that's a lot of fun. But then there are touching moments like Melissa Campbell, who plays Miranda. She has a beautiful song called “Let Go.” That's a very touching moment, and I get to share the stage and every night just watch her. I'm like, she sings her heart out, and that's beautiful.

BRETT CULLUM: It sounds like Mrs. Doubtfire has a little bit of everything — comedy, big musical numbers, dancing and some really touching moments.

Craig Allen Smith: So much fun.

BRETT CULLUM: And perhaps that's exactly what audiences need right now: a little bit of escape and a reassuring story about family and love.

Craig Allen Smith: Oh, absolutely.

BRETT CULLUM: Craig, thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us. We can't wait to see you as Mrs. Doubtfire when the tour comes to Houston.