Twentieth Century FoxHelloooo! Here's a hot news flash!
Break out the wig, the makeup, the padded suit, the "Raptor Rap" and the whipped cream—one of the most beloved family movies of all time, the hit 1993 Robin Williams film Mrs. Doubtfire, is getting the stage musical treatment. Famed Disney film music composer and producer Alan Menken, revealed the news to EW Radio on Thursday, saying he is working on the music for the upcoming show based on the film.
"It's going very well," he said. "It's in its early stages. We're really enjoying working on it."
The family comedy starred Williams as a male voice actor, Daniel, who adopts a Scottish accent and dresses in drag, complete with a wig and prosthetics, to disguise himself as an elderly female nanny, who his unsuspecting soon-to-be ex-wife, played by Sally Field, hires to help take care of their three children. It was one of the most memorable roles for the actor, who died last year at age 63.
While the cast for the musical has not been announced, one of the movie's stars is involved. Menken said Harvey Fierstein, a veteran Broadway performer and writer who played Williams' character's brother who helps him undergo his transformation, is penning the book, or libretto, for the Mrs. Doubtfire stage show. David Zippel, with whom Menken collaborated for the 1998 Disney film Hercules, is writing the song lyrics. He also worked on the soundtrack of Mulan, which starred Fierstein.
The Grammy-, Tony- and Oscar-winning composer and song producer and writer is also known for his work on soundtracks for other Disney animated movies such as Aladdin, which starred Williams, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Pocahontas, as well as films such as the 1986 musical remake of Little Shop of Horrors and Home Alone 2.
He has composed music for several Broadway musicals, including Sister Act and Newsies, for which he won a Tony for Best Original Score and which Fierstein wrote, and Beauty and the Beast and the new show Aladdin, both of which also won Tonys.
The Mrs. Doubtfire film contained a score composed by Howard Shore and also featured a couple of musical performances. Williams and Fierstein sang the hit Broadway song "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," from the popular musical Fiddler on the Roof and the former star's character is also seen belting out part of opera composer Gioachino Rossini's "Largo al Factotum" while recording a cartoon voiceover.
The movie also included the tracks "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" by Aerosmith, the Guys and Dolls musical number "Luck Be a Lady" by Frank Sinatra, "Walk Like a Man" by The Four Seasons and "Jump Around" by House of Pain.
Mrs. Doubtfire the movie won an Oscar for Best Makeup and also starred Pierce Brosnan as Fields' character's new beau, while her and Daniel's three children were played by Matthew Lawrence, Mara Wilson, who went on to play Matilda, Lisa Jakub, who went on to star in Independence Day with Fierstein.
It was reported in April 2014 that a sequel to Mrs. Doubtfire was in the works. The production was postponed indefinitely following Williams' death.