“Mrs. Doubtfire,” one of Robin Williams’ most successful comedies, is headed to Broadway. Last week, Variety learned there will be a stage musical based on the 1993 movie about a cross-dressing dad who poses as a nanny to spend time with his kids after a difficult divorce. Will the adaptation be a hit? Here’s a look at some other ’90s favorites that migrated to Broadway — with mixed (but mostly successful) results.
The Bridges of Madison County
Movie opened: 1995; Broadway debut: 2014; $6.7m Broadway box office; 4 Tony nominations; 137 performances
The film starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood grossed $182 million. But onstage, not even Kelli O’Hara could save this musical saga of a housewife’s affair with a magazine photographer from becoming a bomb.
The Lion King
Movie opened: 1994; Broadway debut: 1997; $1.6b Broadway box office; 11 Tony nominations; 9,164+ performances
Julie Taymor’s dramatic reimagining of Simba’s story — with the jungle animals coming alive in the form of human puppets — is the most successful Broadway show in history.
Newsies
Movie opened: 1992; Broadway debut: 2012; $109m Broadway box office; 8 Tony nominations; 1,020 performances
The musical of the sleeper live-action Disney movie about singing paperboys at the turn of the 20th century became a surprise smash onstage.
Pretty Woman
Movie opened: 1990; Broadway debut: 2018; $51.1m Broadway box office; 0 Tony nominations; 447 performances
This production closed after only one year, proving that you should stick with the Julia Roberts movie.
Sister Act
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Movie opened: 1992; Broadway debut: 2011; $52.m Broadway box office; 5 Tony nominations; 589 performances
The musical received strong reviews, but it never surpassed the movie, which starred Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer who enters the witness protection program as a nun.