Tootsie- worst musical of the year- Page 3

[kaykordeath]

Posted: 5/22/19 at 11:46am

[bdn223]

Posted: 5/22/19 at 12:01pm

CT2NYC said: "magictodo123 said: "CT2NYC said: "Mike Barrett said: "magictodo123 said: "I think that while the characters of Hadestown don't have much of an arc, the problem that people have with Tootsie is that Michael doesn't change. He thinks by dressing as a woman, it automatically means people who find out will think he changed for good, but once you take him back out of the dress once he's exposed, what has he learned? Has he truly changed? Does he even have an arc? That's one of the many problems people have with this musical."

Haven't seen the show so I can't fully comment, but, isn't it a comedy? I feel part of the joke is that the guy is an ass, considering he's taken jobs away form other women and is dressing up like one in the first place. Again, haven't seen the movie or play, but from what I gather thats just part of the running joke.Hadestown being a love story id certainly expect some sort of arc to come from it."

You gather incorrectly. In the movie, Michael Dorsey has a definite arc, mainly owing to his relationship with Julie, which is far more significant than in the musical, and her father, who isn't even a character in the show."

This may be an incredibly silly question, but do you think the musical is just playing for as many laughs as It can get, rather than for Michael to actually seem human and redeem himself in the end for all the pain he caused everyone?"

Yes, the musical focuses mainly on the comedy, to its detriment. In the movie, Julie is a wounded character. She's dating her emotionally abusive director and she has a mild drinking problem, while raising an infant daughter as a single mother. Dorothy Michaels gives her the confidence to better her life, so, when she finds out that she's been lied to, it's devastating. If they didn't want to go that route, I get it, but, as someone who loves the original film, I thought that the show lackedany kind of heart."

I'd say there are definitive arcs for most of the principals outside of Micheal, Ron (arguably the antagonist, which makes sense) and Stan (who is barely in the show to begin with and shouldn't be a principal, but they hired Tony Award winner Michael McGrath. There's an entire song about Michael/Dorothy's impact on them with "I like what She's Doing". 

Michael does have an arc though its just very understated, which is actually quite poetic. Arguably the show's thesis is: Big actions may cause changes, but more often the simplest steps will be the most effective. Micheal is a narcissist, who throughout the entire production think he and/or Dorothy is the savior of the world around him. He creates/becomes Dorothy because he thinks its the only way the world will see his brilliance as an actor. Then in the  Act I closer Unstoppable, Michael believes his new raison d'etre is for Dorothy to change the world. The Act II opening number though, while a comedic character song "Jeff Sum's It Up", spells out Michael's arc throughout the show. He needs to stop thinking only he can make a difference,  and instead listen. This is finally seen in the closing moments of the show, which I think brilliant from a thematic perspective, as there is no closing number. Instead we see Michael meet Julie at a park apologize, and simply listen. This is brilliant in my opinion as the show opens with a massively gaudy production number, similar to the big actions taken by Michael to set the plot into motion, and closes with the a small conversation, which symbolizes Michael's learning that sometimes its best to simply listen.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 5/22/19 at 2:12pm

Someone mentioned that the OP is a supporter of Hadestown and thus commenting against Tootsie.  Would someone involved in competing Tony nominated shows speak ill against a rival to score points?  (It's plausible.)  Also, that maneuver could backfire.  

 

[stlrod]

Posted: 5/22/19 at 3:54pm

If anybody wants to find out for himself or herself, I just posted two tickets for sale on 6/28 for below what I paid using the current code—not because of this thread, but because I have a conflict and ticketmaster isn’t allowing exchanges.

[ArtMan]

Posted: 5/22/19 at 4:00pm

Patti LuPone FANatic said: "Someone mentioned that the OP is a supporter of Hadestown and thus commenting against Tootsie. Would someone involved in competing Tony nominated shows speak ill against a rival to score points? (It's plausible.) Also, that maneuver could backfire.

"

That person stated that the OP was a producer of Hadestown, trying to create negative buzz against Tootsie.  That statement was silly when it was made days ago and is still silly today.