Posted: 10/30/19 at 1:19pm
Boy, after seeing the musical adaptation of this comedy classic, it's never been more clear what the state of the American Broadway Musical is in...and it isn't exactly healthy.
The WHY? is missing from every part of this musical.
1) there is no message here. What the film did so great, during a relevant time in woman's rights, is show that he can pretend to be a woman all he wants, that doesn't mean a man can EVER fill a woman's shoes. And in fact it's impossible. This Michael is just dressing up as a woman to get a job, after essentially putting a nail in the coffin of his own career....unfortunately, it does come across as well, sexist...of course I know they didn't do it intentionally, but I don't think the show works without that message from the movie.
2) This book is not worthy of a Tony Award. I get that the book of musical is a mysterious thing and lots of debates always occur when it comes to how effective they are, but this is just full of hokey, reject jokes from a 90's sitcom. You learn almost nothing about the characters that isn't stock /stereotype. Resetting it to musical instead of soap opera isn't a bad idea, but does almost nothing exciting for the show. A soap opera setting could have been an unexpected way to approach songs....the idea is ho hum. I'll give it one kudos. When the character of Julie decides that maybe she could be a lesbian for Dorothy.....Ah! A modern idea! It needed many more of these to work.
3) I'm Yazbek fan till the end. I still think his score to the full monty is one of the most perfect for the characters I can think of. Tootsie.....well, these songs are just annoying. The melodies aren't appealing, the song moments are trite, the lyrics don't excite and aren't funny. Poor sarah styles has to sing that song What's Gonna Happen, everynight....thats up there with Shapoopy for the most annoying song in the musical theater cannon. When it isn't annoying it's so uninteresting it just seems to evaporate into the air like you never even heard it.
4) The cast is fine....Santino Fontana is talented. I don't get Tony for this musical performance and I don't think he's at ease in a musical, at least he seems manic and stressed in this. I'd much prefer to see him in plays like Sons of the Prophet a few years back in which he was wonderful. You don't want to root for his Michael.
Lilli Cooper has a good voice no doubt, but she's wrong for this role and unfortunately she doesn't bring any special unique qualities to an already blandly written Ingenue character so she comes across as well, just another bad musical theater actor. It's a missed opportunity for her.
Sarah stiles does more of the same here as the crazy ex, and paired with the material you just want her to leave the stage.
Michael McGrath and Julie Halston are wasted in nothing roles that could have been cut
Andy Grotelueschen as Michael's best friend and John Behlmann as the leading man are actually quite funny and grounded in their roles, they are the stars here.
5)the set by david rockwell is probably won of the most unattractive and cheaply made set ive every seen on broadway
6) The direction and choreography by Scott Ellis, uninspired and bland...nothing more to say there.
7) One of the clumiest choruses i've seen on Broadway in a long time. Half of them can barely even do the moves full out.
Begs the question....why?
