GLAAD Clarifies Work With TOOTSIE And MRS. DOUBTFIRE

Following multiple media reports of GLAAD working with the producers of the new Mrs. Doubtfire musical in Seattle, the organization has clarified their involvement with the production - as well as the current Broadway musical Tootsie - which is set to wrap up it's run in January.

GLAAD representative Rich Ferraro told BroadwayWorld "Various media outlets have reported that GLAAD has consulted with the musical "Mrs. Doubtfire" to ensure that it does not inadvertently cause offense to the transgender community.

As the producers of "Mrs. Doubtfire" made clear in their statement on December 2, "they have taken feedback and notes from people representing different constituencies who have seen rehearsals as part of the process of making the show." One GLAAD employee attended a rehearsal, but not in an official consulting capacity. No formal feedback from GLAAD has been given to producers. Conversations between the show's producers and GLAAD continue.

No formal feedback from GLAAD has been given to producers. Conversations between the show's producers and GLAAD continue.

Some media stories have implied that "Mrs. Doubtfire" has worked with GLAAD, while "Tootsie" did not. On the contrary, GLAAD has been working closely with the producers and creative team of "Tootsie" during its rehearsal process and Broadway run, to make sure any concerns from members of the transgender community are addressed. It has been a collaborative and productive relationship. GLAAD's insights and suggestions have been met with understanding and have been implemented into the production where needed.

While neither "Tootsie" or "Mrs. Doubtfire" has a transgender character, both stories involve cisgender men wearing dresses. [...] Transgender women are certainly not men in dresses, but in our current culture, people continue to confuse and wrongfully conflate the two.

GLAAD often serves as a resource for media content creators, providing notes and feedback on scripts. While neither "Tootsie" or "Mrs. Doubtfire" has a transgender character, both stories involve cisgender men wearing dresses. For decades, films and TV shows have treated the idea of a "man in a dress" as inherently ridiculous. Transgender women are certainly not men in dresses, but in our current culture, people continue to confuse and wrongfully conflate the two. One of GLAAD's roles is to work with content creators to educate them about tropes and stereotypes that affect LGBTQ people, and GLAAD's conversations with "Tootsie" - and potential future conversations with "Mrs. Doubtfire" - revolve around helping them identify the context of these tropes."

The musical features a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell and music and lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick, the Tony Award nominated team behind Something Rotten! Four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks (Hello, Dolly!) will direct and Lorin Latarro (Waitress) will choreograph. Ethan Popp (Tina) will serve as Music Supervisor, Arranger and Orchestrator.

The principal cast of Mrs. Doubtfire will feature Rob McClure in the title role, Jenn Gambatese as Miranda Hillard, Peter Bartlett as Mr. Jolly, Charity Angél Dawson as Wanda Sellner, Mark Evans as Stuart Dunmeyer, J. Harrison Ghee as Andre, Analise Scarpaci as Lydia Hillard, Jake Ryan Flynn as Christopher Hillard, Avery Sell as Natalie Hillard and Brad Oscar as Frank Hillard. Further casting will be announced at a later date.

The creative team for Mrs. Doubtfire includes David Korins (Scenic Design), Catherine Zuber (Costume Design), Philip Rosenberg (Lighting Design), Brian Ronan (Sound Design), David Brian Brown (Hair & Wig Design) and Tommy Kurzman (Make-up Design).