TOOTSIE the Musical: PREVIEWS START — Page 10

One should not trust GoldDerby for Tony nominations. In addition to McGrath, they also have Jack O'Brien, Stephanie Hsu, Rob McClure, Andrew Rannells, Tony Goldwyn, Fionnula Ferryman Flanagan, Mercedes Ruehl, and Jayne Houdyshell getting nominated, which all seem very unlikely.

getupngo said: " -Lots of broadway in jokes. including a reference to Michael being in the bathroom."

Saw the show last night, but don’t remember this being referenced in it at all. In which part does that happen exactly?

"Where's Michael?
"He's in the bathroom"

I REALLY don't think that's a BMC reference. And if it is, nobody in the theatre laughed. The BMC boy can't be the only Michael ever to use a bathroom?

BalconyClub said: "LxGstv said: "getupngo said: "-Lots of broadway in jokes. including a reference to Michael being in the bathroom."

Saw the show last night, but don’t remember this being referenced in it at all. In which part does that happen exactly?"

When Sandy knocks on the apartment door, Michael's roommate helps stall her at the door by quickly saying MICHAEL'S IN THE BATHROOM.

The line goes by quickly in the scene."

That line is directly from the movie. It just makes more sense, and is better played within the structure of the movie.

but since I've been seeing a bunch of mixed reviews, do you guys think the show will still be running then.

Yes

Also, how respectful is the show when it comes to transgender people?

I didn't see anything in the show that was either transphobic or disrespectful.

Full Monty, Dirty Rotten, Band's Visit, and Women on the Verge were all superior.

Actually, I'd put this on par with Full Monty and definitely above Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (not a bad score, but my least favorite of Yazbek's works).

barcelona20 said: "Side note, Santino uses a similar voice as Tootsie as he did in a brief snippet of "We Tapped That Ass" from Crazy Ex GF."

If you're interested, you might like to see another instance of Santino Fontana trying out his woman voice, by performing a solo version of a song he did in a certain Disney film...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U041M0PKcWg

Doing a "single person duet" to "Love Is An Open Door" is no easy task, and you can tell that Fontana is overwhelmed by the challenge of singing the male and female parts by himself. But it's messy and enjoyable fun, like the tune itself...

Saw the show last night, and I would say I was mixed on it. Part of my reaction was because I took my mother, who apparently holds the film on a pedestal and was angered over all of the changes from the movie. This was to a point where in our post show discussion she said, “It shouldn’t even be called Tootsie!” She also thought the show wasn’t “Me too enough” (her words) which confused me. Add to that she was upset that they cut out Dorothy’s date/subplot with Julie’s father. Her biggest gripe was that they changed setting from a Soap opera to a Broadway musical, and kept saying to me “It has to be a soap opera, that’s the point that it takes place in a soap opera and doesn’t work as a musical!!”
Based on our conversation I think its more so she grew up in the golden age of Soap Operas, subscribing to the magazines, and treating them with the same speculation and reverence modern audiences have for Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, and Avengers movies. So it was seeing the behind the scenes drama aspect of Soap Operas that made her love the movie, and not the a terrible person makes a drastic and unnecessary change in his life to learn the simplest of lessons. She did finally mention that aspect, near the end of the discussion, but refused to admit it that it was the heart of the story.

Me on the other hand thought it was good. I don’t know if it was my seat, or the cast, as I could tell many of the jokes were funny and clever, they just weren’t landing. I kept thinking to myself if only the cast sold the joke 5% harder it would of landed. I was also in the side rear mezzanine, which was only about half full, so that may explain the 5% I felt I wasn’t getting. The book is really good though to the point where I wished it was a play with music, instead of a musical. (The only songs would be from Juliet’s Curse/Juliet’s Nurse) . Yazbek's score is ok i guess.....I felt like all of the songs were written in couplets, to the point where they didn't feel organic. There were several moments where I thought to myself, "I think Yazbek was more focused on finding a rhyme then the meaning of the lyrics." One time in particular that stuck out in my head was during "Who are You?" Julie pronounces "Or-ay-gone" in such a weird and drawn out way, to fit the rhyme. It wasn't as if this was done for laughs, which I would understand and accept even if the joke didn't land. I did find it poetic that Yazbek and Horn decided to end the show without a big closing number, and instead a small intimate book scene. In my opinion it really emphasized the message of you don't have to go big to understand the simplest of things aka you don't have to become a woman to respect women.

Santino Fontana is effortless in the role, which scares me because he makes it look so easy, that you forget how hard it is. For such a big role, he somehow makes it not feel showy, which is why he's perfect. Dorothy is her own distinct personality compared to Michael and its only when Michael's personal desires interfere with Dorothy's actions that he plays up the drag aspects. Its a role that one could easily chew the the scenery down to a bare stage, but its his restraint that brings Michael and Dorothy to life. Lily Cooper is fine, but Julie's the show's unfortunate straight man, who also has to carry the show's emotional and dramatic core. "Gone, Gone, Gone" the only point she gets to let her shoulders down and have some fun, isn't that great of a song. The song feels like its from a different musical with Rock and R&B roots, compared to the rest of the scores intimate musical theater feel. Sarah Stiles, has what is destined every character actress' new go to audition and/or cabaret number with "What's Gonna Happen". If it wasn't such a competitive season for Best Featured Actress I would say she would be a lock for a Tony, as I honestly lit up whenever she was on stage. I would love for her to finally get a juicy comedic star vehicle like Once Upon a Mattress's Fred where she can truly shine. I will admit I have always loved her work, but I honestly think of Ms Stiles as a young Andrea Martin in terms of comedic timing. Andy Groteluschen's Jeff goes from a "Why is he even here?" in Act 1 to a scenery chewing marvel in Act 2. I just think his performance gets overshadowed though, by John Behlmann who is given the showiest part of the entire show. Yes, I said that right, for a show about a man who dresses as a woman to get a role in a Broadway show, it is the "Reality TV Dumb Jock" that has the showiest part. He sells it well, and I think he will get more awards attention over Groteluschen. Halston and Rogers are fine in their roles. I will say though halfway through Act 2, I thought to myself 'Didn't Michael McGrath win a Tony? Is this just a paycheck for him as the Stan literally does nothing the entire show and is on stage for maybe 10 minutes as most? He doesn't even sing. I am guessing Stan's role was substantially minimized and cut through the creative process since Chicago, as I honestly wonder's why he was considered a "Featured Actor" while Britney Coleman and Nick Spangler's Suzie and Stuart are considered ensemble, when they have as much stage time and character development as Stan. Add to that Stuart and Suzie even get songs listed as characters in the songs, but aren't listed as characters in the cast. END OF RANT, but I digress. The sets were beautiful, and I honestly couldn't remember the last time a big musical used actual sets instead of a unit set, nor projections. By this I mean, the sets felt like sitcom level sound stages, and not a table/desk/chair/furniture with a projection behind it, which has become the norm as of late for big musicals (Frozen, Mean Girls) that aren't doing some artistic theme its set.

Over all I'd say its a fun time. I want give the show another chance, as I have a gut feeling that my seat and my mother's reaction, hindered my enjoyment. Is it as solid musical on par with other stage adaptations such as School of Rock, Shrek, Waitress, Rocky, Legally Blonde. Therefore I'd say its a good show, but I don't know if I would say its a great one.

Updated On: 4/21/19 at 12:01 PM

My favorite songs now from Yazbek's score are:

1) Dear John (Julie & Dorothy)

2) I Know What's Gonna Happen (Sandy)

3) The Greatest Night



Top of the list for me is the rehearsal number I'm Alive, which makes me want to Frug and Pony all over the place. That tune is super catchy and fun and the choreography was hilarious. I also thought I Won't Let You Down was an infectious earworm and in context of the audition scene, it was very very funny. Is "Dear John" what they're calling Julie's exposition number (I called it "Okay"? I really love the melody to that tune which is classic Yazbek, as is Who Are You. The latter is like a nod to Twin Soliloquies from South Pacific with a twist (even down to the detail of holding and sipping their drinks).

yankeefan7 said: "" Her biggest gripe was that they changed settingfrom a Soap opera to a Broadway musical, and kept saying to me “It has to be a soap opera, that’s the point that it takes place in a soap opera and doesn’t work asa musical!!” "

I don't know how old your Mom is but I agree with her, maybe we are around the same age."

I agree, also.

There is no way that musical Michael would ever achieve the kind of notoriety that movie Michael did without being on TV. It's not that a Broadway actor is a "big fish in a small pond", but more that Broadway actors are big fish in ponds with exclusively limited visibility. It's very hard for me to believe that when the general public in musical Tootsie world heard the name Dorothy Michaels, they wouldn't respond with, "Who?"

I also agree with the point made regarding excising the trip to Julie's home. In the movie, that was the heart of the film. That was the Act where Michael learned how to be "a man", as opposed to a womanizer. Musical Michael is missing that kind of character arc. Honestly, (and keeping in mind that I saw the show in Chicago) I didn't see that Michael had any kind of character arc at all.

The musical tried to replace the "heart" (and the #metoo kind of messaging) found in the movie with jokes. And it works to an extent, but it makes for the kind of musical that others have commented about - it was funny, I had a good time, but I wouldn't see it again.

PS: I wonder how long it will take before the jokes in Tootsie, the musical will no longer "land" with the impact they currently have? If/when that happens, this show will be just a vanity project for an actor who accepts the challenge of performing the lead role.

Updated On: 4/19/19 at 10:32 AM

sing_dance_love said: "Mister Matt- I’m with you, the melody to (I guess its’s called) Dear John was so wonderfully interesting and reminded me of the best of what I love about Yazbeck. Definitely one of the best in the score.

Mike Barrett- I really enjoy The Prom’s score too, and for me, when The Prom’s lyrics are trying to be funny they’re more consistently laugh out loud funny than those in Tootsie, and when they’re trying to be touching they’re more consistently that than those in Tootsie. Tootsie does have a handful of wonderful numbers though and is filled with vibrant melodies. You’ll find plenty to enjoy."

All I needed to hear! Getting my tickets for Tony week!