ARTS & CULTURE
Kimberly Marsh
Photo Celebrity Attractions
If you love the Mrs. Doubtfire movie starring the iconic Robin Williams and Sally Field, get ready for a whole new experience when the Mrs. Doubtfire musical comes to Tulsa’s Performing Arts Center Nov. 12 through Celebrity Attractions.
“We definitely send a love letter to Mrs. Doubtfire and to Robin Williams,” said Romelda Teron Benjamin, the actress who plays the court-appointed family liaison in this endearing story of a family going through a divorce. “We don’t like to say that the show mimics the movie. I think it pays homage to the movie. It pays respect and love and gratitude to Robin Williams and that entire cast.”
Tickets for the show are available online at Celebrityattractions.com for the Tulsa performances November 12-17. To buy tickets in person or by phone, visit the box office at 101 East 3rd St. or call 918-596-7111. The story is about parents who have broken up and the dad is not able to spend the time he wants to spend with his children. When his former wife advertises to hire a nanny he engages his brother and his brother’s partner to help him create a disguise as an older woman that is so elaborate even his ex-wife doesn’t see through it. The court appointed liaison is evaluating his parenting ability to make recommendations to a judge. Hilarity ensues.
Teron Benjamin said there are some things that the musical cast takes from the movie, “because, of course, it wouldn’t be Mrs. Doubtfire if we didn’t have certain aspects from the movie in the musical.” Like the movie, the musical hits emotional buttons, laughter and then tears of compassion.
“By the end of the show, people are on their feet crying after laughing for two hours and that’s when we know we’ve done our job very well.”
Don’t be on the fence about seeing the show because there is no way to compare with Robin Williams, and they don’t try. Still the musical delivers and is touching, especially to family members who have been impacted by divorce. While the movie doesn’t dwell on the reasons for the divorce, the musical goes into the back story through the conversations on stage, Teron Benjamin said.
“We give you more background into what happened and why it happened and how it happened,” she said of the storytelling technique. “Our cast has done a really great job with holding that story together and bringing that story to life. We get more into the relationship of Daniel and Miranda. When I look back at the movie, we know that there are problems, but we don’t know the background. In the show, we’re giving you the background to the problems. We’re giving you an insight into what broke this marriage up.”
Playing the “straight man”
Teron Benjamin has the job of playing the “straight man,” the character in a comedic show that is not purposely funny but much of the comedy is the result of how the lines hit her character. The comedy is based on how the jokes are landing on Wanda Sellner, the court liaison who visits the family several times throughout the story, catching the lead character Daniel and his alter ego, Mrs. Doubtfire, at the same time resulting in some hilarious switch-ups.
One who has usually played in a comedic role of a show, Teron Benjamin said this is a big departure that has caused her to gravitate to roles like Wanda Sellner in the future because of the complexity. Her character is key to the jokes landing with the audience. The comedy of her character is in how she responds to the comic actors and their lines.
“It is a craft I have never encountered before…So, every night is a challenge, and I have to stand there (not laughing)…It’s extremely difficult. It goes back to the great comedians of Abbott and Costello, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, the old genre of comedy where it wasn’t so in-your-face,’ Teron Benjamin said. “I now want to play roles like this more frequently. It’s a tool that I will take into the rest of my career.”
The character of Wanda Sellner is a strong, regimented court official who takes her job very seriously. She does what she does for the kids in the family above all, Teron Benjamin said.
“As soon as she comes out on stage, the audience knows, ‘oh, God, don’t mess with her,’ and as we go on into the production, the audience is more afraid of Wanda. Because her whole, her whole thing is the kids, it’s like she’s seen so many deadbeat dads who were not worthy of their kids. By the time we get to the end of the show, Wanda is seen as an awesome woman.”
Finally she sees that Daniel might not be as much of a screw up as she originally thought because she realizes the great lengths he has gone to in order to be with his children every day.
Inspired at a young age
Teron Benjamin was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pa. A self-described hyper energetic child, she put on shows in her room and the family backyard, inviting neighbors.
“I would set up theaters in my mom’s house. And then once I realized that I wanted to do this seriously, my mom allowed me to go to a creative performing arts middle school. Once that happened, she thought it was just a passing fancy.” But it stuck with Teron Benjamin who went into college to study theater after high school. She booked her first tour during her junior year of college, and booked an international show two months later in The Netherlands where she performed for a year and a half. From there, Teron Benjamin moved back to New York City and began pursuing roles, while also working a “survival job.”
Advice for Young Performers
“I went to a Fine Arts High School so I know the importance of actors coming to visit, because it helped develop me,” Teron Benjamin said. “So I think for young kids, they should know it’s a lot of hard work. It’s not easy. It is not easy whatsoever. There’s going to be moments where you’re like, okay, I don’t think I can do this anymore.” But the applause and the success of a show will be the inspiration for actors who want to make a career of it, she said.
On tour for a year, Mrs. Doubtfire will be closing on Nov. 23. Teron Benjamin said don’t miss it. The musical is for the whole family and promises to be an emotional journey. “Come with an open heart and know that you’re going to leave filled with joy…And for me… I just feel really blessed, honored that I get to bring Wanda to so many people across the country, and I’m going to miss her tremendously.”
Performance Information
Date: November 12-17, 2024
Location: Tulsa Performing Arts Center
Address: 101 East 3rd St.,Tulsa, OK 74103
Phone: (918) 596-7111
