Mrs Doubtfire the Musical at Teatro Brancaccio, March 31 to April 18, 2027

Mrs Doubtfire the Musical at Teatro Brancaccio: the musical comedy based on the Robin Williams film is staged at Via Merulana 244 (00185 Rome) from March 31 to April 18, 2027, with Francesco Cicchella in the double role of Daniel Hillard and Mrs Doubtfire. The calendar published by the theater lists 19 performances: evening shows start at 20:30, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 16:00. You get there by Metro A, Vittorio Emanuele stop, by Metro B, Cavour stop, or by buses 16, 75, 714, 717 and C3, which stop on Via Merulana by the theater. The prices published by the theater range from €40 (Poltrona B and I Balconata B) to €80 (Poltronissima Gold). Tickets are sold at the box office on Via Merulana and on the authorized presale network listed on the official Teatro Brancaccio website.

Language: opera sung in its original language; no English surtitles are announced, so check with the theater.

It is directed by Matteo Gastaldo, with choreography by Ilaria Suss, musical direction by Fabio Serri and translation and adaptation by Eugenio Contenti. It is produced by All Entertainment, Ad Astra Entertainment and TEA Teatro EuropAuditorium, by arrangement with Music Theatre International Europe. It's the first Italian production of a show that premiered in Seattle in 2019, went to Broadway and held the West End stage for almost two years. Among the musicals of the Roman spring it has the widest audience, because three generations know the film. For the same reason it's also the most exposed: everyone will arrive in the hall with a precise image in their head, and that image has Robin Williams' face.

Mrs Doubtfire at Brancaccio in brief: dates, times and prices

Mrs Doubtfire the musical runs at Teatro Brancaccio from March 31 to April 18, 2027, for 19 performances spread over three weeks, with Mondays off. After Milan, where it opens in February, Rome is the second city of the first Italian production.

The performance calendar published by the theater

• Wednesday, March 31, 20:30: first Rome performance.
• Thursday, April 1 and Friday, April 2, 20:30.
• Saturday, April 3, 16:00 and 20:30.
• Sunday, April 4, 16:00.
• Tuesday, April 6 to Friday, April 9, 20:30.
• Saturday, April 10, 20:30.
• Sunday, April 11, 16:00.
• Tuesday, April 13 to Friday, April 16, 20:30.
• Saturday, April 17, 16:00 and 20:30.
• Sunday, April 18, 16:00: last performance.

Mondays, April 5 and 12, are days off. On Sunday there is only the matinee, and on Saturday, April 10 only the evening show: if you want two shows on the same day, you only have Saturdays, April 3 and 17. The 20:30 time is half an hour earlier than the 21:00 that Brancaccio uses for many other titles of the season, and it's worth keeping in mind when you book dinner.

Prices by section

The price list published by the theater for Mrs Doubtfire has seven sections, all at full price:

• Poltronissima Gold: €80.
• Poltronissima A: €75.
• Poltronissima B: €60.
• Poltrona A: €50.
• Poltrona B: €40.
• I Balconata A: €50.
• I Balconata B: €40.

The theater's rules state that any fees and presale charges must be clearly shown at the time of purchase and on the ticket. The second balcony appears among the sections on the booking form but not in the price list for this title: if it goes on sale, the booking system will say so, not the table.

March 31 or April 1?

The production's launch press release, issued at the end of May 2026, gave the Rome dates as April 1 to 18, 2027. The official Teatro Brancaccio page brings it forward by one day and opens the calendar with Wednesday, March 31 at 20:30. If you are buying, the theater's calendar is what counts, and it's also the one you book on: the March 31 performance is real, and it's the first.

What Mrs Doubtfire, the musical, is

Mrs Doubtfire the musical is the stage adaptation of the 1993 film directed by Chris Columbus, with music and lyrics by Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick and book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell. It comes to Rome in Eugenio Contenti's Italian translation and adaptation.

From Anne Fine's novel to Chris Columbus' film

The story was born on paper. Anne Fine published the novel Madame Doubtfire in 1987, released in Italy as Un padre a ore. Six years later Chris Columbus made it into a film, with a screenplay by Leslie Dixon and Randi Mayem Singer and with Robin Williams, Sally Field and Pierce Brosnan. Mrs. Doubtfire, in Italy Mammo per sempre, opened in American theaters on November 24, 1993 and in Italian ones on February 11, 1994. It grossed more than $441 million worldwide, against a budget of $25 million, and was the second highest-grossing film of 1993, behind only Jurassic Park. It won the Oscar for best makeup and two Golden Globes, including best motion picture comedy or musical and best actor for Williams.

The award-winning makeup is not a closing-credits detail: it's the heart of the story. A man who becomes another person to stay close to his children has to be believable as that other person, and the housekeeper's mask is what holds the whole pretense together.

From film to stage

The musical didn't succeed at the first attempt. An early project, around 2015, had music by Alan Menken, lyrics by David Zippel and a book by Harvey Fierstein, the same Fierstein who played Frank, Daniel's makeup artist brother, in the film. The project went into creative pause. In 2018 producer Kevin McCollum relaunched it with an entirely new team: Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick on the score, Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell on the book, Jerry Zaks directing. The show, like the film, is set in San Francisco, but moved into the 21st century: on stage there are references to technology and pop culture that didn't exist in 1993.

The story told on stage

Teatro Brancaccio presents it like this: Daniel Hillard is an out-of-work actor willing to do anything to stay close to his children. After a stormy divorce he loses custody, and to remain part of their lives he turns himself into the eccentric Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire. As the character takes on a life of her own, Daniel discovers much more than he imagined about himself, family, love and what it means to be a father. The production promises all the famous moments of the film, with new songs and dance numbers. The film worked because under the farce there was real pain, that of a father who sees his children only on Saturdays. If the Italian version keeps that bitter core, the comedy holds. If it loses it, what's left is a disguise.

A curious fact about Mrs Doubtfire the Musical at Teatro Brancaccio, March 31 to April 18, 2027

The nicest curious fact concerns the protagonist's name. In the film Daniel invents the housekeeper's surname while reading a newspaper headline: a news story about the Gulf War said the police doubted a fire was accidental, "Police Doubt Fire Was Accidental." From that "doubt fire" Mrs Doubtfire was born. Her first name, Euphegenia, has stayed that way on the official Brancaccio page. Anyone who grew up with the dubbed film will instead remember Ifigenia, the version chosen for the 1994 Italian release.

The second curious fact concerns that very dubbing, and it concerns Rome. Robin Williams' Italian voice in Mammo per sempre belongs to Carlo Valli, who for that work received the 1995 Nastro d'argento for best male dubbing. For a whole generation of Italian viewers, the Scottish housekeeper has that tone and those inflections. Francesco Cicchella, who is also an impressionist by trade, thus faces a double comparison: with Williams and with Williams' Italian voice. It's a challenge few actors would gladly accept, and one that a talented impressionist can turn into a game with the audience.

The third is a calendar coincidence. The first Rome performance falls on Wednesday, March 31, 2027, three days after Easter Sunday, which in 2027 coincides with the switch to daylight saving time. If you go to the 20:30 show in the first week you leave home in daylight, and the long April light accompanies the whole run. The comedy of a father who wants more time with his children arrives, in short, in the weeks when the days really get longer.

Francesco Cicchella, the star of Mrs Doubtfire

Francesco Cicchella, from Naples, born on March 21, 1989, is an actor, comedian, impressionist, singer and musician. In Mrs Doubtfire he plays Daniel Hillard and his transformation into the housekeeper: it's the first major international musical in which he is the lead.

Training and first awards

Cicchella started with music: he studied piano and jazz singing at the San Pietro a Majella Conservatory in Naples. In 2007, at 17, he won the Premio Totò for comedy and appeared on television for the first time as a guest on Cominciamo bene on Rai 3, as an impressionist and singer. The same year he formed the duo Doppia Coppia with Vincenzo de Honestis. In 2009 he won the third edition of the Premio Alighiero Noschese, named after the most famous impressionist in Italian television. The starting point matters: Cicchella is not a comedian who sings, he's a musician who chose comedy. For a musical role, you can feel the difference.

Made in Sud and Tale e Quale Show

In 2009 he joined the cast of Made in Sud, which the production's press release counts at 13 editions. There he built his parodies of Michael Bublé, Gigi D'Alessio, Massimo Ranieri and Kekko Silvestre of Modà. In 2015 he was a guest on the first night of the Sanremo Festival, where he impersonated Bublé with de Honestis as translator. In the autumn of the same year he took part in Tale e Quale Show on Rai 1, hosted by Carlo Conti, and won the fifth edition. The following year he returned for the final phase of the sixth and came third. Among the most remembered impressions of those seasons are Bruno Mars, Freddie Mercury, Stevie Wonder, Shakira and Francesco Renga. More recently came his impressions of Achille Lauro and Ultimo, brought to Honolulu on Italia 1 in 2021 and to the Amici final in 2022.

Theater and film

The production's press release recalls his one-man stage shows, BiS!, which passed 150,000 spectators, and Tante cose belle. In film Cicchella is in the cast of Sergio Colabona's Vita, cuore, battito, from 2016, and voices the parrot Autostima in Mister Felicità. In 2022 he had his own show on Prime Video, Cic to cic. On January 14, 2017 he was Gigi Proietti's guest on the first episode of Cavalli di battaglia on Rai 1, again as Massimo Ranieri: a crossover that, for anyone going to Brancaccio, has a precise meaning, because Proietti ran this theater.

Why the choice works

The role of Daniel Hillard asks for three things at once: being able to change voice in an instant, being able to sing a musical score and being able to hold the audience with improvisation. In the film Daniel is a voice actor, and the character lives on voices. It's hard to imagine an Italian profile closer to it than an impressionist who came out of the conservatory. The risk, if anything, is the opposite: that the audience waits for the impressions and misses the father. The direction will have to find the balance. The choice is right, and the evening is decided in the second half, when comedy has to make room for emotion.

The Italian team of Mrs Doubtfire: direction, music, dance

Mrs Doubtfire the musical is directed by Matteo Gastaldo, with choreography by Ilaria Suss, musical direction by Fabio Serri and translation and adaptation by Eugenio Contenti. The first Italian production is by All Entertainment, Ad Astra Entertainment and TEA Teatro EuropAuditorium.

Matteo Gastaldo, director

Gastaldo has worked in musicals for more than 20 years, first as a performer and then as a director. He studied dance, singing and acting in Genoa, Milan, Rome, Paris and New York, where he won a scholarship at Steps in Manhattan. He debuted in 1991 in the Italian cast of the original production of A Chorus Line and in 1995 joined the European tour of West Side Story. Then came Starlight Express in Germany and Disney's Beauty and the Beast in Austria, and new productions such as Roman Polanski's Tanz der Vampire and Dirty Dancing. From 2004 he worked as associate director and choreographer on Best of Musical, a large European tour devoted to the genre. As director he has staged Geronimo Stilton nel regno della fantasia, 50 sfumature il musical, Hair and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and he was resident director of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. It's a career spent entirely inside the musical machine, from stage to rehearsal room: the right person for a comedy that lives on comic timing and lightning-fast changes.

Fabio Serri, musical direction

Serri is a writer and arranger from Genoa with a long collaboration with Gastaldo. He started as a keyboard player, then moved to composing and arranging for family shows like Winx Power Show and Geronimo Stilton nel regno della fantasia. He was musical director of Romani with Loretta Goggi, Ghost the musical, 50 sfumature il musical and Hair, and conductor and then musical director of Priscilla. For a score like the Kirkpatricks', which mixes pop, rock and comedy numbers, the hand of someone who knows the light repertoire counts.

Ilaria Suss and Eugenio Contenti

The choreography is by Ilaria Suss, and the production promises spectacular dance numbers: in the original version there are ensemble pieces ranging from rock to flamenco. The translation and adaptation are by Eugenio Contenti, and this is where a decisive game is played. Mrs Doubtfire is a comedy of words, double meanings and jokes built on accent: in English the housekeeper is Scottish, and the comic effect also comes from the contrast between voices. Carrying that game over into Italian without losing it is the hardest job of the whole production, and the most invisible if it succeeds.

Producers and rights

The production is by All Entertainment, Ad Astra Entertainment and TEA Teatro EuropAuditorium. The show is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International Europe, the agency that manages the performance rights to the title. The launch press release says auditions and callbacks were held in Milan in May 2026, with Cicchella himself present, and that the full cast would be announced later.

Something nobody tells you about Mrs Doubtfire the Musical at Teatro Brancaccio, March 31 to April 18, 2027

What nobody tells you is that the show arrives in Rome already run in. The first Italian production opens in Milan, at Teatro Nazionale, on February 23, 2027, and stays there until March 14. When it opens at Brancaccio on March 31, the company has three weeks of performances in front of an audience behind it. If you usually rush to opening nights, here it's better to do the opposite: the version Rome sees has already been tested by the audience, with the comic timing adjusted and the scene changes oiled.

The second thing left unsaid is in the calendar. On Sunday, in Rome, Mrs Doubtfire has only the 16:00 matinee. The Saturday evening show is always there, the Saturday matinee only on April 3 and 17. If you're thinking of the classic Sunday night at the theater, change your plans: it doesn't exist. And on Monday the theater rests, box office included.

Third: Brancaccio's rules ask spectators to arrive at least one hour before the start. For the 20:30 show that means being on Via Merulana at 19:30, and for the matinee at 15:00. Entry to the hall once the show has started is not allowed, and latecomers wait in the foyer until the first suitable break. In a comedy built on setting up a deception, missing the first act means missing the divorce, the plan and the birth of the housekeeper: everything that makes the second act funny.

Fourth: tickets are issued in the buyer's name, after registering personal details, and cannot be transferred for any reason without agreement from the theater. If you buy for the extended family or for a group, you need to know this beforehand, not at the ticket check.

The Mrs Doubtfire tour: Milan, Rome, then Italy

The first Italian production of Mrs Doubtfire follows a three-stage route announced by the production: Milan, Teatro Nazionale, from February 23 to March 14, 2027, then Rome, Teatro Brancaccio, until April 18, 2027, and finally a national tour of several Italian cities from November 2027 to April 2028.

Why Rome after Milan

The pattern is the usual one for big musical productions: the debut in one of the genre's two capitals, then the other, then the provinces. Here the opening is in Milan, and Rome gets the show already settled. For the Rome audience it's a practical advantage, and for the production it's the second acid test: the Brancaccio audience is large and used to big-name titles, and the word of mouth born here weighs on the autumn tour.

If you can't get a seat in April

If you can't go during the three Rome weeks, you'll have a second chance with the tour starting in November 2027. The cities and dates of the tour, however, haven't been made public in detail yet. For a Roman the choice remains simple: Brancaccio can be reached by metro, is a few minutes from Termini and has acoustics and a capacity few halls around Italy can offer.

Mrs Doubtfire around the world: Seattle, Broadway, London

Mrs Doubtfire the musical premiered at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle in November 2019, went to Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre and ran in London's West End, at the Shaftesbury Theatre, from May 2023 to April 2025.

Seattle and Broadway, between pandemic and pause

After the world premiere in Seattle, with previews from November 26, 2019 and performances extended to January 4, 2020 because of audience demand, the show began Broadway previews on March 9, 2020. Three days later all New York theaters closed for the pandemic. Mrs Doubtfire resumed previews only on October 21, 2021 and officially opened on December 5. In January 2022 the production went on hiatus, reopened in April and closed on May 29, 2022, after 43 previews and 83 regular performances. Rob McClure, the lead, was nominated for the Tony Award for best actor in a musical, and the show won the Drama Desk Award for wig and hair design, a prize that echoes the film's Oscar for makeup.

The West End and the tours

In the UK the musical opened in September 2022 at the Manchester Opera House, to generally favorable reviews, and arrived at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London on May 12, 2023, with Gabriel Vick in the title role. It stayed there until April 26, 2025: almost two years of performances, a result Broadway had not achieved. In the United States a first tour started in September 2023 with McClure, joined by his wife Maggie Lakis as Miranda, and a second in September 2025. A tour of the UK and Ireland was announced to start in August 2026, again with Vick.

Other languages

Before Italy the show was translated into Portuguese, as Uma Babá Quase Perfeita, in Rio de Janeiro in 2024 and in São Paulo in 2025, with Eduardo Sterblitch in the lead. In Germany it was staged at the Capitol Theater in Düsseldorf from October 2025. The Italian version joins a European path already under way.

The songs of Mrs Doubtfire: what music to expect

The Mrs Doubtfire score is by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick, who wrote music and lyrics. In the original version the show has two acts and about 20 numbers, from pop to rock to a flamenco piece.

The numbers of the original version

The first act of the original production opens with an ensemble number for the Hillard family and continues with the song in which Daniel declares he wants to be there for his kids. The most anticipated number is Make Me a Woman, sung by Daniel with Frank, Andre and the ensemble: the moment the housekeeper is born. The second act contains Miranda's song, a duet between Daniel and his eldest daughter Lydia and an ensemble finale, As Long as There Is Love. In between there's a flamenco number, He Lied to Me, and an ensemble piece about Mr Jolly's TV show.

The Italian version

The Italian titles of the songs will depend on Eugenio Contenti's adaptation, and they haven't been released yet. Broadway critics were divided precisely on the music, judged pleasant but not very memorable, while they praised the cast. It's a verdict to take with caution in the theater: in a musical comedy the score serves the pace more than the tune you hum on the way out. A tip: don't listen to the original recording beforehand, let the songs arrive inside the story.

Teatro Brancaccio: the hall and its layout

Teatro Brancaccio, at Via Merulana 244, has had its current layout since 1937: two foyers, a large orchestra and two raised levels, the first and second balcony, for about 2,000 seats at the time. It's one of the largest halls in Rome for drama and musicals.

Orchestra and balconies

The hall reads in three bands. The orchestra is divided into the Poltronissima and Poltrona sections, with the Gold and Gold Vip bands at the front. Above is the first balcony, divided into A and B, and higher up the second. For Mrs Doubtfire the price list covers the orchestra and the first balcony. The useful fact is this: I Balconata A costs the same as Poltrona A, €50, and I Balconata B the same as Poltrona B, €40. The theater treats the first balcony as equivalent to the rear orchestra, and the real price difference is all in the front rows: between Poltrona A and Poltronissima A there's €25.

Where to sit for a musical comedy

Here my view is clear, and different from what would apply to a blockbuster spectacle. Mrs Doubtfire is a show of faces: the fun is in Daniel's expressions as he plays the housekeeper, in his voice changes, in the children's reactions. From far away you lose half the comedy. If you can spend, choose Poltronissima, A or B. B, at €60, is the best balance of closeness and price. On a tighter budget, a central Poltrona A seat is better than a side seat in the first balcony. A practical warning: the balconies are not served by elevators, and you reach them on foot.

Brancaccino and the rest of the complex

Brancaccio is the main hall of a larger complex: Brancaccino, a theater of about 100 seats with telescopic seating devoted to contemporary drama and children's theater, a park area used for training and a large terrace overlooking Via Merulana. The theater is home to the production center Viola Produzioni and hosts the STAP Brancaccio Academy and the BMA Brancaccio Musical Academy. Our Teatro Brancaccio page gathers the history, the hall and practical information.

My tip for Mrs Doubtfire the Musical at Teatro Brancaccio, March 31 to April 18, 2027

My tip is just one: choose a weeknight evening show in the second or third week, between Tuesday, April 6 and Friday, April 16, and sit in Poltronissima B, as close to the center as possible.

The reason for the date is simple. The first Rome week falls right after Easter, when the city is still full of visitors and the company has to get the measure of a new hall after Milan. Weekends are family time, and with a title like this the matinees will be the most in demand. The Tuesday to Friday evening shows have the most attentive audience and a company by then at ease on Via Merulana stage. And the 20:30 time lets you get out at a reasonable hour even if you work the next day.

The reason for the seat is simple: this is a comedy of faces and voices. Poltronissima B, at €60, gives the closeness you need without the premium of the front rows. If your budget allows and you want to see every grimace Cicchella makes, Poltronissima A at €75 is the best seat. If your budget is tight, a central Poltrona A seat at €50 beats the balcony.

One last thing: if you go with your kids, go to a matinee, and choose Saturday, April 3 or 17 if you want the option of a second show. If you go without them, avoid the Sunday matinees. A hall full of families is perfectly fine, but a comedy about divorce watched next to children is a different experience, and it's best to choose it knowingly.

How to get to Teatro Brancaccio

Teatro Brancaccio is at Via Merulana 244, in the Esquilino neighborhood, less than a kilometer from Termini station and a short walk from the Vittorio Emanuele stop of Metro A. It's one of the easiest theaters in Rome to reach by public transport.

By metro

The theater gives two options. Metro A, Vittorio Emanuele stop, is the closest: you come out on Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II and reach Via Merulana in a few minutes on foot. Metro B and B1, Cavour stop, are the alternative if you are coming from the Monti or Colosseum side, with a slightly longer walk. From Termini, where the two lines cross, the theater is less than a kilometer away: in April, with the long light, the walk past Santa Maria Maggiore is pleasant and worth the ride you save.

By bus

The theater lists three stops. On Via Merulana, at the Merulana/Brancaccio and Merulana/Mecenate stops, lines 16, 75, 714, 717 and C3 pass. At the Labicana/Merulana stop, at the corner with Via Labicana, lines 3, 53, 75, 85, 87, 186, 571, 810, C3 and the N10 night bus pass. For the trip home after the evening show, the N10 is the line to note down. Metro A on the way there, one of Via Merulana or Via Labicana lines on the way back: that's the most convenient combination.

By taxi

The theater lists the nearest taxi stands: Largo Brancaccio, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II at number 113, Via Principe Amedeo at 138, Via Giolitti at 6 and Via Venosta. At the end of a sold-out evening show the Largo Brancaccio stand empties in a few minutes: if you need a taxi, it's faster to move toward Piazza Vittorio or book one by phone.

By car

The car is the option I advise against. The theater lists no partner parking, Esquilino is a dense neighborhood and parking in the evening is hard, all the more in the weeks after Easter, when Rome is full of visitors. If you are coming from outside the city, you're better off leaving the car near a Metro A or B station and continuing to Vittorio Emanuele or Cavour.

Tickets for Mrs Doubtfire: box office, presale, groups

Tickets for Mrs Doubtfire at Teatro Brancaccio cost from €40 to €80 and are sold through the official channels listed by the theater: the box office at Via Merulana 244, the official website, the official call center and authorized sales points.

Box office and hours

The Teatro Brancaccio box office is at Via Merulana 244 and is open to the public Tuesday to Saturday from 16:00 to 19:00. On Sunday it opens at show time, if there is a performance, and on Monday it is closed. For Mrs Doubtfire every Sunday has the 16:00 matinee, so the box office is open on those days too. The box office phone help line answers Tuesday to Friday from 14:00 to 16:00.

Online and by phone

The theater's rules list as official channels the website teatrobrancaccio.it, the Viola Produzioni box offices at Brancaccio, the official call center at 06 80687231 and authorized sales points. The show page on the theater's website takes you to the official sales system, where you choose the date and section. Registration of personal details is required to buy, and tickets are issued in the buyer's name. The theater warns that tickets bought through unauthorized channels may not give access to the hall, and reminds you that resale at a markup is against the law.

Groups, companies and subscriptions

For groups, companies and partner deals Brancaccio has a dedicated Ufficio Promozioni, reachable at 06 80687232. If you are organizing an outing for a class, an association or a company group, start there, not with the online network. For the 2026-2027 season the theater offers two subscription formats, the Brancaccio Fan Card and the Super Fan Card: if you plan to come back several times in the season you can consider them, but ask the box office which titles are included.

Exchanges, refunds and lost tickets

The rules are clear: tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded, except if the event is canceled or as required by law. The theater reserves the right to change the date, time, staging and cast, which does not entitle you to a refund. If you lose a digital ticket bought at the box office or on the theater's sales system, you can ask the box office for a copy free of charge. For tickets bought on other channels, contact the channel you used.

Another well-known fact, yet one rarely mentioned

Everyone knows Mrs Doubtfire is a Robin Williams film. Less often mentioned is that there was a clash over the film's ending. The producers wanted Daniel and Miranda to get back together and remarry. Robin Williams, Sally Field and director Chris Columbus opposed it, because that happy ending would have been unrealistic and would have given false hope to children of separated parents. They won. The film closes with the housekeeper explaining to children, from her TV show, that divided families are still families, if there is love.

The choice matters for theatergoers too. Mrs Doubtfire is not a romantic comedy with a disguise in the middle: it's the story of a father who has to learn to be one, while the marriage stays over. The musical, according to Brancaccio's presentation, tells exactly this journey: Daniel discovering something about himself, about family and about what it means to be a father. The ensemble finale of the original version is titled As Long as There Is Love, and it picks up the same idea.

And there's another little-told fact. Robin Williams was chosen for the role by Anne Fine herself, the author of the novel. In 2014 20th Century Fox had announced a sequel to the film, and Williams' death, in August of that same year, cancelled it. The musical, born a few years later, is in a sense the only sequel Mrs Doubtfire ever had. If you walk into Brancaccio carrying that memory, know this: the comparison with Williams is inevitable, and it's right not to ask Cicchella to imitate him.

House rules at Teatro Brancaccio: what to know before you go in

The Teatro Brancaccio rules apply to every Mrs Doubtfire performance: arrive at least one hour early, no entry once the show has started, no photos or filming during the show, no food in the hall.

Arrival, latecomers and seats

Besides arriving an hour early, the rules ask you to sit only in your assigned seat: for safety reasons you may not swap seats, even if there are empty ones. Ushers may ask to see your ticket at any time. Reduced-price tickets are valid only with a document proving entitlement to the reduction. Without it, you pay the difference.

Bags, umbrellas and cloakroom

The theater has a cloakroom, a bar and merchandise sales. Umbrellas are not allowed in the hall: they must be left at the cloakroom, in a bag provided by staff. It is forbidden to bring in bulky containers over 17 liters not authorized by staff, plastic bottles over half a liter, glass containers, motorcycle helmets, professional and semi-professional cameras, tripods and selfie sticks. Food and drinks may be consumed only at the bar, during intervals.

Phones, photos and dress

The rules forbid photographing the show with or without flash and making audio or video recordings, even with a phone, and ask you to switch phones off before the start. On dress, the theater asks for clothing suited to the decorum of the hall, without a real code. For an April musical comedy, evening wear and a light jacket are both fine: the real rule is not to show up in gym clothes.

The right photo to take at Mrs Doubtfire the Musical at Teatro Brancaccio, March 31 to April 18, 2027

No photos during the show: the theater's rules forbid photographing and filming the performance, even with a phone. The right photo has to be taken before and after, and in April the light helps like in no other month of the theater season.

The first is the theater facade on Via Merulana with the Mrs Doubtfire poster, taken from the opposite sidewalk with a wide lens: that way you get the whole front of the theater and a stretch of Via Merulana, one of the longest and straightest streets in the center. With daylight saving time, at 19:30, when the rules ask you to be at the theater already for the evening show, the April light is still soft and the signs are starting to light up. It's the right moment: the line of people in front of the entrance tells the story of the evening better than any close-up.

The second is a family photo, and I suggest it if you are going with your kids. The Scottish housekeeper is a character that lends itself to play: an apron, a pair of round glasses, a granny shawl, and the photo in front of the poster becomes a keepsake. The rules forbid taking pictures in the hall during the show, not having fun outside.

The third is the hall seen from above, before the lights go down: from the first balcony you see the orchestra filling up and the curtain closed. No flash, no selfie sticks, and phone back in your pocket as soon as the lights start to dim: the ushers are watchful, and they're right to be. If you want an image of the show, there's the official material the theater publishes, starting with the poster with Cicchella.

Mrs Doubtfire with kids

Teatro Brancaccio lists Mrs Doubtfire under the Musical and Family categories. The 16:00 matinees, on Saturdays, April 3 and 17 and on all three Sundays, are the performances designed for people going with their children.

Age, accompanying adults and tickets for little ones

The theater's rules require children under 14 to be accompanied by an adult. Children under 3 get in free if they don't take a seat, with a document proving their age. Access remains at the production's discretion. Everyone else pays the full ticket for the chosen section: the price list published for this title shows no reductions for kids.

Which performance to choose and what to talk about beforehand

Mrs Doubtfire is funny, but it's about divorce. The film deals with separation and its effects on a family, and the musical keeps that framework: a father who loses custody, children who suffer, a mother who builds a new life. For a child of separated parents it can be a liberating show or a hard one, and it's worth talking about it beforehand. From age seven or eight the show works well, especially if the film has already been watched at home: the disguise, the voices and the dance numbers hold their attention. For older kids, and especially those studying singing or acting, I'd recommend an evening show: watching an actor change voice and body on stage is a lesson in craft. With the youngest I'd choose an aisle seat, so you can step out to the foyer without disturbing anyone. Food is not allowed in the hall: snack at the bar before the start and a half-liter bottle of water in your bag.

Accessibility at Teatro Brancaccio for Mrs Doubtfire

Teatro Brancaccio states that there are no architectural barriers to the orchestra: there is a ramp, an area for wheelchairs and an accessible restroom on the ground floor, reached from the orchestra foyer.

Wheelchairs and reduced mobility

For performances organized by the management, the theater provides, while available, four orchestra spaces for wheelchair users with a companion and two orchestra seats for people with walking difficulties. The balconies are not wheelchair accessible: there are no elevators to the upper sections. Seats must be booked by sending the box office the specific form, filled in and accompanied by a disability certificate or the Disability Card, plus the attendance allowance certificate if applicable. The box office then gives the rate set by the production and confirms availability. The theater is explicit: a regular ticket bought through other channels does not guarantee access for people with disabilities.

Visual and hearing impairments and service dogs

For spectators with visual and hearing impairments the theater reserves orchestra seats on request, while available. If you have a service dog you can ask to enter the hall with the animal by writing to the box office and attaching the disability certificate stating the need for assistance. For a comedy in which a lot comes through words and voices, I'd recommend that a spectator with a hearing impairment ask the box office, when booking, for the seat as close to the stage as possible.

Some important events that happened here in history

The history of Teatro Brancaccio begins in January 1916, when the hall opened under the name Teatro Morgana. It was built against the embankment of the gardens of the Field-Brancaccio noble palace, whose name comes from Isabella Field, married to Prince Brancaccio. The link with Palazzo Brancaccio is therefore physical even before it is a matter of name.

Over the years the theater went through several renovations, to enhance the exterior and to improve how it worked inside. The decisive moment is 1937: the hall opened in the layout we know, with two foyers, a large orchestra and two balconies for about 2,000 seats at the time, and took the name Teatro Brancaccio.

The second chapter opened in 1985, when the hall became home to the Fondazione dell'Opera di Roma, which stayed until 2000. For 15 years the stage where Cicchella now sings the Kirkpatricks was one of the homes of opera in the capital, and the hall bears its marks: a wide orchestra, deep balconies, a stage able to hold complex productions. The City of Rome then took over and entrusted the direction to Gigi Proietti until 2007. Maurizio Costanzo's management followed until 2010, and Stage Entertainment Italia's until 2012. Since September 2012 the artistic director has been Alessandro Longobardi.

The most recent years are those of its transformation into a cultural hub: Brancaccino, the park area for training, the terrace over Via Merulana, the academies. In 2014 Spazio Impero opened, with nine rehearsal rooms, networked with the production center's other spaces, Sala Umberto and Spazio Diamante. The theater then launched an energy efficiency project funded by the European Next Generation EU program through the Ministry of Culture. The Rome premiere of Mrs Doubtfire, on March 31, 2027, fits into this history as the latest in a long series of big musicals to pass through Via Merulana.

Around Brancaccio: Esquilino, Monti and Via Merulana

Teatro Brancaccio is on Via Merulana, in the Esquilino neighborhood, between the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano. If you arrive an hour or two early you are surrounded by one of the most history-packed areas of the city.

Before the show: what's a few steps away

Via Merulana runs between two of Rome's major basilicas: on one side Santa Maria Maggiore, on the other St. John Lateran. The theater stands on the stretch between them, and a walk before the evening show can start from either. On the same street are Palazzo Merulana and, a little further on, the Auditorium of Maecenas. To the north, past the metro stop, is Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II with the Alchemical Door. To the west you go down into the Monti district, which you can explore at leisure with our guide to Rione Monti. In April, unlike in autumn, you can take the walk even after 18:00 without darkness falling on you.

Where to eat before or after the show

The area offers three different options. Via Merulana and the streets around the theater have bars and neighborhood places, good for an aperitivo or a quick meal before the 20:30 evening show, which doesn't leave time for a sit-down dinner. Piazza Vittorio and the streets around it are the multiethnic Esquilino, with cuisines from half the world and moderate prices. The Nuovo Mercato Esquilino is the place where you best understand this side of the neighborhood, but it's a market, not an option for the evening. The Monti district, a quarter of an hour's walk away, has trattorias, osterias and wine bars, and it's the best choice for dinner after the show. A practical tip: book ahead. On sold-out nights, a whole hall leaves the theater at the same time and looks for a table in the same few blocks.

Who has passed through Mrs Doubtfire the Musical at Teatro Brancaccio, March 31 to April 18, 2027

Over its history, some of the biggest names of Italian and international entertainment have crossed the Brancaccio stage. The theater itself recalls a few: Totò, Anna Magnani, Aldo Fabrizi and Gigi Proietti among the actors, Fabrizio De André, Louis Armstrong and Jimi Hendrix among the musicians. Variety and Roman cinema, songwriting, jazz and rock had a home here even before musicals.

For Mrs Doubtfire two of these names carry special weight. Totò, because the first prize Cicchella won, at 17, bears his name: the Premio Totò for comedy. Proietti, because he was much more than an actor passing through: after 2000 he ran the theater on behalf of the City of Rome, until 2007, and in 2017 he hosted Cicchella on the first episode of his Cavalli di battaglia on Rai 1. April's star arrives on Via Merulana within a precise lineage, that of the comedian who sings, impersonates and acts, who in Rome had Proietti as his most beloved master.

The 2025-2026 season gives an idea of who passes through Via Merulana today. In musicals: Anastasia in January 2026, Aggiungi un posto a tavola with Giovanni Scifoni and a special appearance by Lorella Cuccarini, in December and for New Year's Eve, Singin' in the Rain, the Rocky Horror Show, Frida Opera Musical and Topo Gigio il musical. In dance Akram Khan, and in music Roberto Vecchioni, Patty Pravo and Michele Zarrillo. In the Mrs Doubtfire season, Brancaccio hosts in autumn the national premiere of The Prince of Egypt, il Musical. If you come for the Scottish housekeeper, you're entering a hall that has seen a good part of Italy's large-scale musical theater go by.

Rome in April, the Mrs Doubtfire season

Mrs Doubtfire arrives at Brancaccio in the three weeks after Easter, which in 2027 falls on Sunday, March 28, and closes three days before April 21, the Natale di Roma. It's one of the busiest times of the year in the city.

After Easter, before the Natale di Roma

The first week of the run, from Wednesday, March 31 to Sunday, April 4, comes a few days after Holy Week and Easter Monday: Rome is still full of pilgrims and visitors, and the area between Santa Maria Maggiore and San Giovanni especially so. If you want to combine the show with the Easter rites, you'll find everything in our guide to Easter in Rome. The last Sunday, April 18, comes three days before the celebrations for the Natale di Roma on April 21. If you are coming from outside the city, the second and third weeks are the quietest for planning a weekend of theater and sightseeing.

Weather, light and clothing

April in Rome alternates already mild days with sudden showers. For the theater there are two practical consequences. The first: umbrellas aren't allowed in the hall and end up at the cloakroom, so a folding umbrella or a good raincoat is better. The second is good news: with daylight saving time the light lasts into the evening, and if you arrive at 19:30 for the evening show you can first take the walk between Santa Maria Maggiore and Monti without missing anything. For the 16:00 matinees the ideal combination is lunch in Monti, a walk, the theater, and the evening stays free. When the evening show lets out, around 23:00, you'll need a jacket: April evenings are still cool.

Frequently asked questions about Mrs Doubtfire at Brancaccio

When is Mrs Doubtfire the musical on in Rome?

Mrs Doubtfire the musical is on at Teatro Brancaccio in Rome from March 31 to April 18, 2027, according to the calendar published by the theater. There are 19 performances: evening shows at 20:30 Tuesday to Saturday, matinees at 16:00 on Sunday and on Saturdays, April 3 and 17. Monday is the day off.

How much are tickets for Mrs Doubtfire at Brancaccio?

Tickets for Mrs Doubtfire at Teatro Brancaccio range from €40 to €80, according to the price list published by the theater. Poltronissima Gold costs €80, Poltronissima A €75, Poltronissima B €60, Poltrona A and I Balconata A €50, Poltrona B and I Balconata B €40. Any fees and presale charges are shown at the time of purchase.

Who plays Mrs Doubtfire in Italy?

In the first Italian production of Mrs Doubtfire the lead is Francesco Cicchella, a Neapolitan actor, comedian, impressionist and singer, winner of Tale e Quale Show in 2015. He plays the double role of Daniel Hillard and the housekeeper Euphegenia Doubtfire. It is directed by Matteo Gastaldo, with choreography by Ilaria Suss and musical direction by Fabio Serri.

Where do you buy tickets for Mrs Doubtfire in Rome?

Tickets for Mrs Doubtfire are sold at the Teatro Brancaccio box office, Via Merulana 244, open Tuesday to Saturday from 16:00 to 19:00, or from the theater's official website, which links to the authorized sales system. There is also the official call center at 06 80687231. For groups there is the Ufficio Promozioni, at 06 80687232.

Is Mrs Doubtfire the musical suitable for kids?

Teatro Brancaccio lists Mrs Doubtfire as a Family show, and the 16:00 matinees are the most suitable performances. The story is about divorce and child custody, a theme to explain to the youngest before going. Children under 14 must be accompanied. Under 3, entry is free without a seat, at the production's discretion.

After Rome, where will Mrs Doubtfire the musical go?

After Teatro Brancaccio, Mrs Doubtfire the musical will continue with a national tour of several Italian cities from November 2027 to April 2028, according to the production's press release. Before Rome the show opens in Milan, at Teatro Nazionale, from February 23 to March 14, 2027.

How do you get to Teatro Brancaccio by public transport?

Teatro Brancaccio, at Via Merulana 244, is reached by Metro A, Vittorio Emanuele stop, or Metro B, Cavour stop. Lines 16, 75, 714, 717 and C3 stop on Via Merulana, and at the Labicana/Merulana stop lines 3, 53, 85, 87, 186, 571, 810 and the N10 night bus also pass. The theater is less than a kilometer from Termini.

What time should you arrive at Brancaccio for Mrs Doubtfire?

Teatro Brancaccio's rules ask you to arrive at least one hour before the start: at 19:30 for the Mrs Doubtfire evening shows, at 15:00 for the matinees. Entry to the hall once the show has started is not allowed, and latecomers wait in the foyer until the first break, missing the whole first part of the comedy.

Is Teatro Brancaccio wheelchair accessible?

Teatro Brancaccio has a ramp to the orchestra, four orchestra spaces for wheelchair users with a companion, two for people with walking difficulties and an accessible restroom on the ground floor. The balconies have no elevator. Seats are booked by sending the box office the theater's form with the required documentation.

My final tip on Mrs Doubtfire

Go, and sit close. Buy from the theater's website or at the box office on Via Merulana, never from unauthorized resellers. Choose an evening show between April 6 and 16, Poltronissima B if you can, a central Poltrona A seat if your budget is tight. Arrive at 19:30, leave your umbrella at the cloakroom and your phone in your pocket. Don't ask Cicchella to be Robin Williams: watch if he manages to be a father. A comedy like this is judged at the moment it stops being funny, and if at that moment the Brancaccio hall stays silent, the evening has worked. If you want to build a day around the show between Santa Maria Maggiore, Esquilino and Monti, with a guide who knows these neighborhoods, you can contact Tour Leader Pro.

Article written by the editorial team of Tour Leader Pro, contact them for Private/Corporate/V.I.P. Tours and Experiences.

Planning a trip to Rome? The English-language guides for visiting the city are on ItalyPlanner.com.