As the “Mrs. Doubtfire” musical returns center stage to San Francisco today, critics are accusing the play of containing “tired, transphobic tropes.”
“Never once did we want to be asking the audience to laugh at the notion of a man putting on a dress,” actor Rob McClure, who plays Daniel Hillard in the live-action production, told SFGate.
“To see them celebrate a story that ends with a guy in drag getting his own children’s television show, they’re giving it a standing ovation, not realizing they’re cheering against their own preconceived biases… In a weird way, they’re showing their hand, that their issue isn’t drag, it’s homophobia. It’s that if the character isn’t gay, they’re not scared of it,” the Tony nominee added.
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Robin Williams in the kitchen in a scene from the film ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’, 1993.(20th Century-Fox/Getty Images)
The initial premiere of the musical version of this beloved classic in Seattle was met with outrage from its audience, catapulting 457 offended viewers to sign a petition pushing for the removal of the production in 2019. The petition demands “the tired, transphobic tropes in Mrs. Doubtfire should be left in the past.”
Inspired by the words of trans theater critic, Brin Solomon, the petition cited the premise of men wearing dresses as a “ridiculous” joke.
“The core premise of the man-in-a-dress joke is that it’s ridiculous and unnatural for a man to wear a dress. Because mainstream society, by and large, thinks of trans women as “men in dresses” instead of women, the man-in-a-dress joke perpetuates the idea that trans women are “unnatural” and fit for ridicule and scorn,” Solomon wrote.
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FW5ERC Madame Doubtfire Mrs Doubtfire 1993 real : Chris Columbus Robin Williams Sally Field COLLECTION CHRISTOPHEL(COLLECTION CHRISTOPHEL)
A “New York Times” review of the musical brought cause for concern about the potential for the production’s revival to live up to that of the original 1993 film starring Robin Williams.
The critique read that McClure’s version of Daniel was “more irritating than entertaining” and that the character’s behavior came off as “more creepy than kooky.”
According to SF Gate, McClure will once again be the lead of “Mrs. Doubtfire” in 2024.
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Robin Williams brooms in a scene from the film “Mrs. Doubtfire,” 1993. ( 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images)
The comedic classic was set in San Francisco, a fact that remains consistent in the remake, which will also highlight the local landmarks of Steiner Street and the Painted Ladies.
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“The musical language of the show was born out of what’s going on for the kids in the family… [The writers] thought that was an unexplored thing from the film, the real struggle that the family is going through, and the kids’ point of view of that messy divorce was something that could sing beautifully,” McClure said.
The Broadway production will be at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco throughout the month of July.
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Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi is a freelance production assistant at Fox News Digital.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Malik Thomas had 19 points in San Francisco’s 81-72 win against Portland on Thursday.
Thomas shot 5 of 12 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 7 for 7 from the line for the Dons (14-4, 4-1 West Coast Conference). Marcus Williams scored 17 points while shooting 8 for 12, including 1 for 4 from beyond the arc and added three steals. Carlton Linguard and Junjie Wang both added 14 points.
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The Pilots (5-13, 0-5) were led by Max Mackinnon, who recorded 28 points and two steals. Austin Rapp added 19 points and eight rebounds for Portland. Chris Austin also had 12 points and six rebounds.
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San Francisco’s next game is Saturday against Santa Clara on the road, and Portland hosts Pacific on Thursday.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Newly inaugurated Mayor Daniel Lurie said Thursday he wants to freeze city hiring and new programs — though there are major exemptions and scant details on exactly what departments will be affected.
In light of a historic budget deficit reaching nearly $900 million, Lurie said the city would pause hiring for new positions, except those that are “historically challenging to staff and that directly support public safety and health.”
Additionally, Lurie told department heads to “realign programming and spending” with core priorities, according to a press release, including freezing new contracts and programs.
The mayor’s office did not respond to a list of questions from The Standard about which departments would be exempted from the hiring freeze or the criteria for halting programs and contracts.
“As we speak, the San Francisco Police Department and sheriff’s department are rapidly shifting resources and personnel to bring drug dealers to justice and clean up our streets,” Lurie said in his inaugural address Wednesday.
Chinese Americans have long played a critical role in San Francisco politics and the city’s identity as a bastion of progress and compassion, advocating for integrated schools, affordable housing and public safety, especially after the pandemic when anti-Asian hate crimes spiked.
A banner hangs over Grant Avenue welcoming Mayor Lurie at the Chinatown Night Market on Inauguration Day in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2025. (David M. Barreda/KQED)
It’s also a fast-growing electorate. The Asian population had the highest growth rate of any ethnicity in San Francisco from 2010 to 2020, according to U.S. Census data. Chinese residents account for nearly 22% of the city’s population.
Lurie has already hired several staffers to help him bridge cultural divides, including Han Zhao, a political strategist for Lurie’s campaign who will be the director of public affairs; Paul Yep, a former San Francisco police commander who will be the director of public safety; and Kit Lam, who was the Asian American and Pacific Islander political director for Lurie’s campaign and who was previously an organizer of the school board recall in 2022. He will serve as a press liaison between the mayor’s office and AAPI communities.
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Lurie, founder of the nonprofit Tipping Point and heir to the Levis Strauss clothing fortune, campaigned as a political outsider fed up with dysfunction and corruption in City Hall.
He has never held elected office before, but convinced voters that his background in nonprofit work would position him well to bring new ideas to City Hall. Campaign contributions soared past $62 million, topped by Lurie who raised roughly $16 million — about half of which was self-funded — making his run the most expensive in the city’s history.
Mayor Daniel Lurie addresses supporters inside Far East Cafe, a Cantonese restaurant, during a visit to Chinatown’s Night Market on his Inauguration Day in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2025. (Gina Castro/KQED)
At Wednesday’s night market, hundreds of residents packed the streets of Chinatown to eat and dance to electronic music by San Francisco-born electronic music producer, Zhu.
“I just got off of work over at Equinox and came because Zhu was performing, but I also came here to support our new Mayor Daniel Lurie,” said Mason Maes, who lives in Noe Valley. “It’s great to see all these residents get together.”
Elizabeth Wang, a Marina resident, came because she was hoping to learn more about Lurie and to have fun with friends.
“I’m just here for the vibes. I can’t say I know much about [Lurie] since he’s new to government,” Wang said. “But having a party here in Chinatown means a lot.”
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Crowds fill Grant Avenue for the Chinatown Night Market on Inauguration Day in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2025. (David M. Barreda/KQED)
Others at the event, who didn’t vote for Lurie and had skepticism about his wealthy background, said they’re waiting to see what type of change his administration will bring.
“We weren’t Daniel Lurie fans, but we love this city and hope it gets better,” said Tiny Harris, who was chasing her toddler around the market.
She said she voted for Aaron Peskin partly because he opposed sweeps of homeless encampments and supported housing and behavioral health solutions over law enforcement to address street homelessness.
“But out of all the mayoral candidates, we could have done worse, so I’m thankful for that,” Harris said.
