Mrs. Doubtfire - Birmingham Hippodrome.

"Mrs. Doubtfire" 
Birmingham Hippdrome
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 Stars)

There are some shows where you know exactly what you're getting before the curtain even rises, and Mrs Doubtfire is absolutely one of those wonderfully chaotic productions. Having seen the UK & Ireland Tour at Birmingham Hippodrome on 26th August 2026, I came away thoroughly entertained, with plenty of laughs, some genuinely touching family moments and a production that understands exactly why this story has remained so beloved. For me, it wasn't quite a five-star evening, but there was more than enough here to make it a thoroughly enjoyable four-star show.

At the centre of everything is Gabriel Vick as Daniel Hillard/ Mrs Doubtfire, reprising his role from the West End. He throws himself into the ridiculousness of Daniel's situation whilst still giving the character a genuine emotional core. The sheer amount of physical comedy, character work and costume transformation required is enormous, and Gabriel carries it with tremendous energy.

Kara Lily Hayworth as Miranda Hillard provides an important grounding force against Daniel's increasingly chaotic behaviour. She brings warmth and strength to Miranda, making sure that she never becomes simply the obstacle standing between Daniel and his children. Aaliya Mai as Lydia Hillard brings plenty of personality and emotion to the eldest Hillard child, whilst our Christopher Hillard, Charlie Banks, and our Natalie Hillard, Mila Isaacs, were both wonderful at this particular Birmingham performance. They brought plenty of energy to the family scenes and helped make the children's relationship with Daniel feel believable.

Ryan Pidgen as Frank Hillard is a brilliant source of comedy, whilst Jairus McClanahan as Andre Mayem and James Darch as Stuart Dunmire each bring their own personalities to the adult world surrounding the Hillard family. Samuelle Durojaiye as Wanda Sellner is wonderfully entertaining, while Carl Patrick as Mr Jolly/Judge makes the most of his dual role. Kiera Haynes as Janet Lundy and Rhianne Alleyne as the Flamenco Singer also make strong contributions to the company.

There is also a huge amount of talent within the wider company. Zac Adlam, Rhona Butler, Joshua Clayton, Emma Dempsey, Abigail Eustis, Amy Louise Everett, Austin Garrett, Cruz-Troy Hunter, Nicholas Leon Jones, D'Mia Lindsay-Walker, Jordan Livesey, Michael Nelson, Lucy May Pollard, Paulo Teixeira and Natalie Thorn all contribute across the ensemble and multiple tracks.

For my performance, Zac Adlam was in the Ensemble track for Nicholas Jones, and he fitted into the company seamlessly. Cast changes are an inevitable part of touring theatre, and it was great to see the production maintain its energy and standard despite the change.

The young performers deserve particular recognition because the production asks so much from them. Charlie Banks, Alexander Beaumont, Joshua Miles and Dexter Pulling alternate as Christopher Hillard, while Santi Cohen, Harly Gill, Mila Isaacs and Hattie Leddington Wright alternate as Natalie Hillard. Seeing Charlie and Mila in Birmingham gave the performance its own little piece of identity, and both were excellent.

One of the strongest aspects of Mrs Doubtfire is its ability to jump between absolutely ridiculous comedy and genuinely heartfelt family drama. Beneath the wigs, disguises and increasingly impossible attempts to maintain two identities is a father who desperately wants to remain part of his children's lives. Whenever the production slows down enough to let those emotional moments breathe, they really land.

The staging is another major part of the show's appeal. The production has to move rapidly between locations while accommodating an enormous amount of costume and character transformation, and the theatrical machinery behind the chaos works remarkably well. The costume and wig work are particularly important because Mrs Doubtfire simply doesn't exist without that transformation being convincing.

The musical score has plenty of fun moments, although this was one area where I didn't always feel the same impact. There are some strong songs and energetic dance numbers, but not every musical moment stayed with me in the same way as the comedy and the central family story. At times, I found myself wanting to get back to Daniel's increasingly disastrous attempts to keep his secret intact.

The creative team behind the production is stacked with talent. Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick provide the music and lyrics, with Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell responsible for the book. Jerry Zaks directs, with Lorin Latarro providing the choreography and Ethan Popp overseeing musical supervision, arrangements and orchestrations.

The visual world is created by David Korins (Scenic Designer), Catherine Zuber (Costume Designer), Philip S. Rosenberg (Lighting Designer) and Brian Ronan (Sound Designer), with David Brian Brown responsible for the original hair design. Stuart Burt is Casting Director and Verity Naughton is Children's Casting Director.

The wider creative team includes Zane Mark (Dance Arrangements), Elliott Ware (Musical Direction), Steve Edlund (Associate Director), Michaeljon Slinger (Associate Choreographer), Rod Lemmond (Associate Scenic Designer), Joel Shier (Associate Lighting Designer), Tara Overfield Wilkinson (UK Associate Director), Lisa Mathieson (UK Associate Choreographer), Hector Murray (Assistant Lighting Designer), Tony Gayle (UK Associate Sound Designer), Sam Cox (UK Associate Hair Designer), Craig Forrest-Thomas (UK Associate Make-Up Designer), Chris Marcus and Jonathan Hall for Marcus Hall Props (Props Supervisors), Sabrina Cuniberto (Costume Supervisor), Louise Jones (Dialect Coach), Sylvia Addison (Orchestral Fixer) and Simon Marlow (Production Manager). Jamie Wilson Productions handles General Management, while Dewynters handles Advertising & Marketing and Storyhouse handles Press & PR.

And, of course, the production is produced by Kevin McCollum and Jamie Wilson, presented by special arrangement with Buena Vista Theatrical.

What I particularly enjoyed was the way Mrs Doubtfire doesn't try to hide the theatricality of its central premise. The audience knows that Daniel is creating an elaborate disguise, and the fun comes from watching the performers and production team keep that increasingly ridiculous situation alive. It creates some wonderfully chaotic theatre.

I also think Birmingham Hippodrome is a fantastic venue for a production of this scale. The huge auditorium allows the ensemble numbers to breathe, while the comedy receives exactly the kind of audience reaction it needs. There were plenty of moments where the audience was roaring with laughter, and you could feel everyone enjoying themselves.

Ultimately, Mrs Doubtfire is a fun, energetic and heartfelt musical that delivers exactly what it promises. It has the big comedy, the outrageous transformation, the family story and plenty of theatrical spectacle. While some of the musical material didn't completely hit the mark for me, the performances and sheer theatrical chaos make this a very enjoyable night out.

And let's be honest, watching one man attempt to maintain the world's most complicated double life while pretending to be an elderly Scottish nanny was never going to be a quiet evening at the theatre.

You can catch "Mrs. Doubtfire the Musical at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday 19th September 2026.

Written By: Liam Cox