Dream Casting

6 Broadway Favorites We'd Love to See as Mrs. Doubtfire

From Norbert Leo Butz to James Monroe Iglehart, here are the guys we think would look great following in the high-heeled footsteps of Robin Williams.

On January 21, it was revealed that Alan Menken, David Zippel, and Harvey Fierstein are at work on a stage-musical version of the classic Robin Williams film Mrs. Doubtfire. So we got to thinking, which of our Broadway leading men would be perfect for that role? We hope these fellas will get called in to audition.

Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire in the 1994 film Mrs. Doubtfire.
Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire in the 1993 film Mrs. Doubtfire.
Danny Burstein
Danny Burstein.
(© David Gordon)

1. Danny Burstein

Danny Burstein is a rare breed of actor: a comic scene-stealer (see: Aldolpho in The Drowsy Chaperone and Luther Billis in South Pacific) who can also make you sob buckets (see: Herr Schultz in Cabaret and Buddy Plummer in Follies). This delicate balance makes him an obvious choice for a role that needs to tug at your heartstrings while making you laugh your head off.


Norbert Leo Butz
Norbert Leo Butz.
(© David Gordon)

2. Norbert Leo Butz

If you saw his Tony-winning performances in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Catch Me If You Can, you know Norbert Leo Butz has the same amount of manic energy that Robin Williams has in Mrs. Doubtfire. And, as evidenced by Butz's work in The Last Five Years and Big Fish, he also knows a thing or two about evoking pathos in a Williams-like fashion. Put the two together and you've got your divorced dad who doubles as a British nanny.


Raúl Esparza
Raúl Esparza.
(© David Gordon)

3. Raúl Esparza

With his first several Broadway roles, Raúl Esparza made a name for himself playing characters wearing drag — or who were at least sexually ambiguous. But since he doffed his Taboo tights a decade ago, we've seen the Tony nominee only in roles that are more traditional. We say it's time to bring the bustier back!


James Monroe Iglehart
James Monroe Iglehart.
(© David Gordon)

4. James Monroe Iglehart

Since his Broadway debut as a replacement for Mitch Mahoney in the original production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, James Monroe Iglehart has managed to make himself a mainstay on the Great White Way, but it’s about time for Iglehart to take on a title role. Mrs. Doubtfire is the perfect candidate because in his Tony-winning role as Genie in Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway, Iglehart has perfected the ability to take a role originally played by comedy great Robin Williams and make it his own.


Christopher Sieber
Christopher Sieber.
(© David Gordon)

5. Christopher Sieber

Not only has Christopher Sieber played Dad to America's favorite twins on Two of a Kind, but his time as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda The Musical has acquainted him with the art of maneuvering in 10,000 pounds of body padding and makeup. He's already taken the Broadway test and there's no denying it — "Dude Looks Like a Lady"…at least when he wants to.


Will Swenson
Will Swenson.
(© David Gordon)

6. Will Swenson

Will Swenson is a man of many characters. He's been a buttoned-up, khaki-wearing dad in Little Miss Sunshine, a womanizing rock-and-roller in Rock of Ages, and a ruthless law enforcer in Les Misérables. We even got to see how he looks in drag when he starred as Tick in Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical. One more transformation shouldn't be too much to ask. Plus, odds are he and the whole Swenson/McDonald clan throw sweet house parties like this every weekend.