Backstage with DeVon Buchanan for 'Mrs. Doubtfire'

When DeVon Buchanan talks about theater, there is a certain inevitability to it.

For Buchanan, the stage wasn't some distant dream discovered after years of searching for a career. It was the answer almost immediately. A childhood trip to see Cats introduced Buchanan to the whimsy, spectacle and sheer possibility of live theater—and the young actor was hooked. The Nashville, Tennessee native has been performing ever since, attending Nashville School of the Arts before studying at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. From childhood theater and commercials to a first national tour with Sesame Street Live at just 19 years old, Buchanan has spent a career moving from stage to stage, show to show, continually finding new ways to make theater a life.

DeVon Buchanan. Courtesy image

Now, Buchanan is bringing that theatricality to Austin as part of the national tour of Mrs. Doubtfire, playing Andre Mayem at Bass Concert Hall September 22–27. While audiences may already know Mrs. Doubtfire from the beloved 1993 film, Buchanan isn't interested in simply recreating something audiences have already seen — they're here to create something new.

In the stage musical, Andre Mayem is the significant other of Frank Hiller, brother of Daniel Hiller — the desperate father who transforms himself into the unforgettable Mrs. Doubtfire in an attempt to remain close to his children. Andre is also the artist responsible for the makeup and prosthetics that help make Daniel's transformation possible. But Buchanan sees Andre as much more than the person holding the makeup brush.

"Andre is a lot of love, a lot of light, and very much an oracle-based character who's always reminding these characters of why they're really doing things that they do, or reminding them to get to the good and the love of their trajectory," Buchanan explains. “I get to be kind of the audience on stage, giving that cheeky nudge to the audience of, ‘I see it, don't you?’ In a sense, people sometimes say, ‘Common sense, ain’t so common.’ Well, Andre has all the sense. It's just so cool to actually be the real within the show and having that connection to the audience to be like, ‘We both see it. I'm glad we're in agreeance. Let's continue.’"

DeVon Wycovia Buchanan (Andre Mayem), Brian Kalinowski (Frank Hillard), Kennedy V. Jackson (Wanda Sellner), and Craig Allen Smith (Daniel Hillard). Photo by Joan Marcus

Of course, an oracle can also have a little attitude. Buchanan relishes the character's "sassy quirks," using humor and knowing glances to create a relationship with the audience that goes beyond the traditional fourth wall. It's a small distinction with a big theatrical payoff.

For Buchanan, one of the most exciting things about playing Andre is that there isn't a fully developed cinematic performance to imitate. In the original film, the character that became Andre was named Jack—and Buchanan points out that Jack had relatively little to do beyond appearing during a montage. The stage production gives Buchanan something entirely different: room to invent.

Before Mrs. Doubtfire, Buchanan's previous production was The Book of Mormon, a show with a long-established performance tradition.

"With that, it's very, 'this is how it is, we've done it ever since it's been on stage, just copy and paste, do it with your little bits and pieces there, but we'll let you go so far','" Buchanan says of that experience. "Whereas now you have, 'hey, no one has ever seen this character in this universe in this way. Go, go out there and do all the things. We'll pull you back if you need it, but just go and explore.’"

For an actor, that freedom can be intoxicating. It means Buchanan gets to explore rather than reproduce. They can experiment with Andre's motivations, discover what makes the character tick and determine how much personality exists between the lines. Much of that personality comes from home. Buchanan says Andre is informed by the "amazing and wonderful, strong-minded, lovely women" who have shaped their life—including their grandmother, mother and aunts.

For all of its outrageous costumes, physical comedy and larger-than-life premise, Buchanan believes audiences will find something remarkably grounded underneath Mrs. Doubtfire. Yes, there will be laughter. There will be tears of joy. There will be plenty of comedy, but there will also be something Buchanan considers particularly important: reality.

"When has there ever been a show about divorced parents?" they joked.

Beneath the comedy is a story about a family trying to navigate separation, identity, love and the complicated ways people attempt to remain connected when their lives no longer look the way they imagined. At its center is a father willing to do something completely ridiculous to remain close to his children.

"This man decided to put on a wig and some granny clothing just so that he could be close to his children," Buchanan says.

The absurdity is part of the charm. But the motivation is deeply human.

Mrs. Doubtfire runs September 22–27 at Bass Concert Hall in Austin, Texas and tickets are available at at TexasPerformingArts.org and BroadwayinAustin.com .