REVIEW: Mrs Doubtfire

at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth

★★★★★ (5/5)

Sacrilege it may be to suggest that anyone could outdo Robin Williams in any hit film in a transfer to the stage. But Gabriel Vick as Mrs Doubtfire undoubtedly comes close. And, whisper it quietly, this stage musical is miles better than the 1993 film.

Williams gave an outstanding performance, of course, but the film possessed a degree of smut and smugness. The stage version has been thoroughly de-smutted. No parent need fear for their little ones' moral upbringing, except maybe that if you're going to lie, the biggest whoppers are best.

Vick, 44, has the good fortune not to exhibit William's mania, and brings instead controlled exuberance, irresistible charisma and considerable charm. A remarkable mimic, he slips effortlessly between voices and accents - here's Kermit the Frog, now Homer Simpson, smattered with some delicious local references too. A Janner quip here, a quaint Tom Daley there, and a gruff Wayne Rooney, who came to make sure Plymouth Argyle go down in history (but in the end, they just went down).

Vick is somehwat of an athlete too for a performance that equires considerable stamina. Plenty of protein is the key, he told us on Devoncast Radio this week.

The story of Mrs Doubtfire should be familiar to anyone alive and sentinent enough to go to the cinema in the nineties. Daniel Hillard, separated from his wife and desperate to spend time with his three children, disguises himself as an elderly Scottish nanny. What follows is gloriously improbable, frequently hilarious and ultimately rather touching.

Daniel's brother Frank (a terrific over-stimulated Ryan Pidgen), whose unfortunate habit of shouting whenever he lies makes concealing Daniel's deception difficult. Together with his partner Andre (Jarius McClanahan), he becomes so deeply complicit that the pair practically serve as Mrs Doubtfire's dressmakers. And that makes us, the audience, somewhat complict too. It's a sweet theatrical necessity and means Daniel transfigures into Doubtfire in 30 seconds or so.

The three Hillard children are stars in their own right. Aaliya Mai as Lydia, is a young adult, so can play the role every night. Press night's two youngest actors shone too - Harly-Rose Gill as little Natalie - and 13-year-old Dexter Pulling playing Christopher with such gusto he practically led the final curtain call.

But let them not outshine the whole company. Some of the Doubtfire routines from the film make it to the stage, but this is musical theatre in its own right, with original songs and a range of dance - embracing tap, flamenco and breakdancing as well as conventional musical, its a range that wouldn't be out of place on Strictly.

Yet beneath the wigs, prosthetics, outrageous disguises and exuberant spectacle lies something much simpler: love.

Daniel loves his children so deeply that he's prepared to become Mrs Doubtfire to remain central to their lives. And while the children grow to adore Mrs Doubtfire, what they really want is Daniel as dad. Mum (a wonderful Kara Lily Hauworth) and Dad can make that work too.

And that's the emotional heart of a show which manages to blend spectacular entertainment with genuine warmth. Every performer, every musician, every member of the crew, take a bow. Doubtfire is a five-star triumph.

Here the interview with Gabriel Vick on the latest Devoncast podcast, or on digital radio on Devoncast Radio.