Tootsie (musical)
Tootsie is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Robert Horn. The musical is based on the 1982 American comedy film of the same name written by Larry Gelbart, Barry Levinson (uncredited), Elaine May (uncredited) and Murray Schisgal from the story by Gelbart and Don McGuire. The musical made its world premiere try-out at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago in September 2018. Like the film, the musical tells the story of a talented but volatile actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to adopt a new identity as a woman in order to land a job. The original movie revolved around a daytime soap opera, while the show involves a Broadway musical.
| Tootsie | |
|---|---|
| Music | David Yazbek |
| Lyrics | David Yazbek |
| Book | Robert Horn |
| Basis | Tootsie by Larry Gelbart Murray Schisgal Don McGuire |
| Premiere | September 11, 2018: Cadillac Palace Theatre |
| Productions | 2018 Chicago 2019 Broadway |
| Awards | Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical |
Productions
The musical had an industry reading in June 2017. Santino Fontana played the lead role of actor Michael, who transforms into "Dorothy" to obtain a role. Scott Ellis replaced Casey Nicholaw as director.[1]
The stage musical version of Tootsie premiered in previews at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, beginning September 11, 2018, with an opening at the Palace on September 30, and a run to October 14, 2018.[2][3] The musical has music and lyrics by David Yazbek with the book by Robert Horn, choreography by Denis Jones, scenic design by David Rockwell, costumes by William Ivey Long, lighting by Donald Holder and direction by Scott Ellis.[4][5]
Santino Fontana stars as Michael Dorsey,[6] with Lilli Cooper as Julie Nichols, Sarah Stiles as Sandy Lester, John Behlmann as Max Van Horn, Andy Grotelueschen as Jeff Slater, Julie Halston as Rita Mallory, Michael McGrath as Stan Fields and Reg Rogers as Ron Carlisle.[3][7]
The Broadway production began previews on March 29, 2019 at the Marquis Theatre and opened on April 23, 2019.[8][9] The production closed on January 5, 2020, having played 293 regular and 25 preview performances.[10]
On May 16, 2019, it was announced that a Non-Equity US national tour will begin in 2020 at Shea's Buffalo Theatre in New York. It was also announced that a West End production would open the following year. Finally, additional productions were announced for New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan. Exact dates and casts for these productions will be announced in the future.[11]
Characters
- Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels - a struggling actor
- Julie Nichols - an actress currently starring as Juliet in Juliet's Nurse
- Sandy Lester - an out-of-work actress and friend of Michael and Jeff
- Jeff Slater - Michael's roommate, an unsuccessful playwright
- Max Van Horn - a reality star currently starring as Craig, Romeo's brother, in Juliet's Nurse
- Rita Marshall - the producer of Juliet's Nurse
- Ron Carlisle - the director and choreographer of Juliet's Nurse
- Stan Fields - Michael's agent
- Suzie and Stuart - the book writers for Juliet's Nurse
- Carl - the stage manager for Juliet's Nurse
Reception
Critic Chris Jones praised the musical in its Chicago premiere for getting many things right, while giving notes for the future Broadway production. In particular, he praised the talent of its lead Santino Fontana.[12] While Michael Phillips commented on the difficulty of translating the early 1980s movie to stage − especially in an era of more gender fluidity – Phillips noted the reviews have ranged "from so-so to very good", while also observing the "opening night laughs were plentiful and the performances savvy".[13]
In her review of the Broadway production in Variety, Marilyn Stasio wrote "The new Broadway adaptation of Tootsie is old-fashioned and proud of it — and it’s a surefire crowd-pleaser... this affectionate sendup of a Broadway musical (replacing the movie’s soap opera setting) and its uniquely unlikely star. Director Scott Ellis leaves nothing and no one unscathed in staging this satire of a Broadway-bound musical called Juliet’s Nurse...That’s the mixed blessing of Yazbek’s score: the lyrics are so smart, the music can’t always catch up with them... The story holds no surprises for anyone who’s seen the movie, but Horn sprinkles the show’s book with clever one-liners... Well-cast character actors demonstrate their bankable skills at character acting."[14]
Musical numbers
Source: Playbill[15]
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Original casts
| Character | Chicago (2018)[2] | Broadway (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Michael Dorsey | Santino Fontana | |
| Julie Nichols | Lilli Cooper | |
| Sandy Lester | Sarah Stiles | |
| Jeff Slater | Andy Grotelueschen | |
| Max Van Horn | John Behlmann | |
| Rita Marshall | Julie Halston | |
| Ron Carlisle | Reg Rogers | |
| Stan Fields | Michael McGrath | |
| Suzie | Britney Coleman | |
| Stuart | Nick Spangler | |
| Carl | James Moye | |
Awards and nominations
Broadway production
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Awards[16] | Best Musical | Nominated | ||
| Best Book of a Musical | Robert Horn | Won | ||
| Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | David Yazbek | Nominated | ||
| Best Direction of a Musical | Scott Ellis | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Santino Fontana | Won | ||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Andy Grotelueschen | Nominated | ||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical | Lilli Cooper | Nominated | ||
| Sarah Stiles | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design of a Musical | William Ivey Long | Nominated | ||
| Best Choreography | Denis Jones | Nominated | ||
| Best Orchestrations | Simon Hale | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Awards[17] | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | Robert Horn | Won | ||
| Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway) | David Yazbek | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Director of a Musical | Scott Ellis | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Choreographer | Denis Jones | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Costume Design (Play or Musical) | William Ivey Long | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Santino Fontana | Won | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | John Behlmann | Nominated | ||
| Reg Rogers | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Sarah Stiles | Nominated | ||
| Drama Critics' Circle Awards | Best Musical | Won | ||
| Drama Desk Awards[18] | Outstanding Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Santino Fontana | Won | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Sarah Stiles | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Director of a Musical | Scott Ellis | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Choreography | Denis Jones | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Music | David Yazbek | Won | ||
| Outstanding Lyrics | Won | |||
| Outstanding Book of a Musical | Robert Horn | Won | ||
| Outstanding Costume Design for a Musical | William Ivey Long | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Brian Ronan | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Wig and Hair Design | Paul Huntley | Nominated | ||
| Drama League Awards[19] | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Nominated | ||
| Distinguished Performance Award | Santino Fontana | Nominated | ||
| Broadway.com Audience Awards[20] | Favorite Leading Actor in a Musical | Nominated | ||
References
- Hetrick, Adam. "New Director Boards 'Tootsie' Musical Ahead of June Reading" Playbill, May 22, 2017
- Hetrick, Adam. "Broadway-Bound 'Tootsie' Musical, Starring Santino Fontana, Opens in Chicago" Playbill, September 30, 2018
- Jones, Chris (September 11, 2018). "The musical 'Tootsie' is much changed — goodbye, soaps — as it tells the story of an actor and his Dorothy". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-09-16.
- Tootsie ibdb.com, retrieved September 12, 2018
- Jones, Chris. " 'Tootsie' Review" Chicago Tribune, October 1, 2018
- McPhee, Ryan. " 'Tootsie' Musical, Starring Santino Fontana, Will Play Chicago Before 2019 Broadway Premiere" Playbill, January 24, 2018
- McPhee, Ryan. " 'Tootsie' Musical, Starring Santino Fontana, Sets Broadway Dates and Theatre" Playbill, August 9, 2018
- Araujo, Roberto (26 March 2019). "What to Expect From Broadway's Tootsie Musical". Playbill. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
- Tootsie ibdb.com, accessed February 20, 2019
- Evans, Greg (2019-11-12). "Broadway's 'Tootsie' Announces Closing Date; Musical Won Two Tonys But Peaked Too Early". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- McPhee, Ryan (May 16, 2019). "Tootsie Musical Sets National Tour, London Bow, and More". Playbill.com. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
- Jones, Chris (October 1, 2018). "In the boffo Broadway-bound 'Tootsie,' Dorothy sings". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
- Phillips, Michael (October 4, 2018). "Why 'Tootsie' struggles to make itself into a musical in 2018". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-10-07.
- Stasio, Marilyn. "Broadway Review: ‘Tootsie’" Variety, April 23, 2019
- " Tootsie Inside the Playbill, p. 3" Playbill (vault), retrieved April 24, 2019
- "Full List of the 2019 Tony Award Nominees". The New York Times. 2019-04-30. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
- Lefkowitz, Andy (2019-04-23). "Hadestown, Tootsie & Oklahoma! Lead 2019 Outer Critics Circle Award Nominations". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2019-04-23.
- "Drama Desk Awards 2019 Nominees". www.dramadeskawards.com. Retrieved 2019-05-01.
- Lefkowitz, Andy (2019-04-17). "Nominations Announced for 85th Annual Drama League Awards". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
- Evans, George (2019-04-19). "'Be More Chill', 'Pretty Woman' Top Broadway's Audience Choice Awards". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2019-05-19.
External links
- Tootsie at Internet Broadway Database
- Official Tootsie Site
- Hetrick, Adam; McPhee, Ryan (October 2, 2018). "Read Reviews for the New Tootsie Musical Starring Santino Fontana". Playbill. Retrieved 2018-10-10.