“Mrs. Doubtfire” isn’t coming back to Broadway so fast.
The musical version of the Robin Williams movie opened on December 5th but then COVID arrived. Cast members became ill, shows were cancelled, and then the Omicron took its toll.
Producers decided to shut down until March 15th. But beware the Ides of March. Broadway, shrunk from 30 shows on New Year’s Day to just 19 this week, is still suffering. The box office on January 2nd was $26 million. Last week it was just $18 million.
Now producer Kevin McCollum tells the New York Times that “Mrs. Doubtfire” won’t return before April 14th. There are some people who think the show may not return at all, but McCollum is a man of his word. He’s trying.
McCollum tells the Times that without tourists yet, there’s no point. And COVID is not over in New York by a long shot. It’s just that people are tired of it, or in showbiz terms, “so over it.” Nevertheless, there were 2,100 new cases in New York City yesterday. So keep that in mind. I know two people who’ve tested positive in the last three days. They were completely vaxxed.
“Mrs. Doubtfire” was panned, naturally, by the Times and received middling reviews elsewhere. Still, it’s an original musical, which Broadway is in need of this season. It requires time and patience and some awards love in the spring to keep it going. I haven’t seen it, but hope to when it returns. Let’s give it a chance. Every show needs one right now.
