TOOTSIE the Musical: PREVIEWS START- Page 5

[Hamilfan2]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 10:34pm

bk said: “I don't need to see the show to know that this show travels in those jokes, because what do you suppose people have been posting here? Including the laughter at said meta jokes? I understand if they're worse in The Prom but you seem to be missing my point, which is I'm done with that crap, truly. I just find it hard to believe it's STILL going on - I would have thought that Something Rotten would have put the nail in the coffin, but apparently the coffin is still open."

Beetlejuice of all things has a ton of these jokes as well.  I think if anything Something Rotten only opened that coffin wider.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 3/30/19 at 11:51pm

I saw tonight’s preview and I... did not care for it. Many of the book scenes are very funny but it was bogged down by a pretty generic and boarderline awful score. The only number that stuck out to me was Model Behavior 2.0.

Also, for those curious, they were still handing out the headshots on the way out.

[rwkpa26]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 12:03am

Have to agree with n2nbaby. Also saw the preview tonight and honestly can’t recall one number from the show an hour after leaving the theatre. Jokes were funny, but the show felt long and dragged out.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 12:15am

rwkpa26 said: "Have to agree with n2nbaby. Also saw the preview tonight and honestly can’t recall one number from the show an hour after leaving the theatre. Jokes were funny, but the show felt long and dragged out. "

It was SO long. I’m all for being long when there is a reason behind it (The Ferryman, Angels in America, etc) but good lord, this just kept going and going and going and going. 

 

And I’m not sure if it was the sound mixing or what, but many of the ensemble sounded incredibly off key tonight, including some of the leading players. 

 

This is is my least favorite musical of the season so far. I didn’t hate it, just found it dull and would never sit through it again.

[LightsOut90]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 12:40am

for anyone that saw in in Chicago and one of the bway previews, has Julie Halstons role been expanded at all? she is one of my favorite character actresses and I think someone said she had a funny part but it was kind of small in chicago..... 

Posted: 3/31/19 at 2:25am

Does anyone have any extra resumes or playbills from the first preview? Also any thing from the show today? Any new songs since Chicago?

[djoko84]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 2:52am

I was at the show and it was cute, but overall underwhelming and definitely not worthy to win Best Musical. I mostly agree with other posters on here. Santino Fontana did a fine job, but it wasn’t a tour-de-force performance. Lilli Cooper was underwhelming and didn’t exhibit anything special. However, Sarah Stiles really stole every scene she was in and her main song was my favorite of the show. The score itself was uneven with mostly forgettable songs. The book really saves the show because there were some pretty good jokes in it. I’m sure it will pick up a lot of Tony noms, but I liken it to how Mean Girls performed last year.

[EllieRose2]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 2:54am

Is front row mezz good for this show? 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 5:48am

EllieRose2 said: "Is front row mezz good for this show?"

Front mezz is fine, but might I suggest a different seat: one in another theatre across the street, perhaps.

[pacificnorthwest]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 10:00am

n2nbaby said:  Has anyone sat in the mezz at this theatre, I’m assuming that’s where TDF will be looking at availability."

I was in mezzanine row F, aisle seat center house right and I felt a million miles away from the stage. I don't know if that it's been a while since I've been in the Marquis or that I usually sit in the orchestra there, but I was pretty disappointed. In that cavernous theater, mid-mezzanine feels far more distant than it does in most Broadway houses. Didn't help that I forgot my opera glasses. Hoping to see it again soon from the orchestra.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 10:03am

"My biggest fear going on was how they handled the change from soap opera parody to that of musical theater. Overall I think it was a switch for the better, but I did take two issues with the idea, one minor and one major. The minor problem is that now Michael is really toying with people’s lives/paychecks/futures in a way that he wasn’t on Southwest General. Emily Kimberly could always easily be written out of the soap if/when things go south, but a lead of a Broadway musical is not so easily replaced; he’s not just messing with their emotions, but their livelihoods. 

The bigger problem involves SPOILER (if you don’t know the film) Dorothy’s reveal. In the movie, the funniest scene is easily Emily Kimberly’s revelation that she’s really Edward Kimberly. Not only does it work for the story, but it’s such an ultimate soap opera trope that it works on a meta level that is missing from the musical. 

Excellent points regarding changing it from soap opera to Broadway show. The reveal was just perfect on a soap opera especially with it being done "live". The reaction from the director/producers and cast on the soap opera was just priceless in the movie. I can't imagine it being as good in this show. 

[Boston Friend]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 10:38am

I saw last night. I wonder did anyone feel Santino’s voice struggled when trying to sing in character voice for Dorothy?

His normal voice sounded great.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 10:43am

I was there last night and had a great time. This is without a doubt the funniest new musical in recent memory- the book is studded with great one-liners delivered by fantastic performers.

Sarah Stiles and Andy Grotelueschen are the comedic MVPs here, and both are likely featured Tony nods. John Behlmann, who has been doing great work for years off-Broadway, is also hilarious.

Santino is certainly giving a tremendous performance and holds the whole thing together very well.

The show itself absolutely needs tightening and trimming- the first act drags in several spots and the show runs long. The lack of a song list makes me thinks cutting will occur.

The score is... a letdown. This is the weakest Yazbek score we’ve seen, and definitely feels like a paycheck assignment. A disappointment after the gorgeous Band’s Visit. Aside from Stiles’ patter song, not much stands out, which is a real shame.

The adaptation of the source material is largely successful. There are memorable moments from the movie that get preserved, but the intent is successfully not just into modern day but into a new medium. There are two points that don’t fully click- there’s no sense that Dorothy is becoming a major sensation in this context (a musical in previews), and the final reveal doesn’t fully register. We certainly get that Dorothy improves the show and that everyone loves her, and that audiences like her. But we need a bit more of a sense that a star is born and that she has taken Broadway by storm. We need to see press, ticket sales, some fame! There are places where this can work- part of the “I Like What She’s Doing” number or the act 1 finale, for instance.

The wild ad libbing to have the reveal work within the context of the show-within-a-show doesn’t have the comedic oomph since we know so little about the show they’re doing. The movie relied on soap opera tropes to make that work; those tropes are copied here, but musical theatre doesn’t rely on those.

Updating the movie’s gender politics to 2019 is done smartly and with savvy- I liked the low key ending, which doesn’t let Michael off the hook. I especially liked the willingness to raise the stakes and embrace the possibility of queerness with Julie.

Overall, I think the show is fantastically funny and featuring some great comedic performances. The mediocre score can’t be overcome, but with tightening and cutting, the show will work will gangbusters.

 

edit: forgot to mention, the headshot/resumes were being handed out at the second preview! What a fun souvenir.

Updated On: 3/31/19 at 10:43 AM

[John Adams]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 11:16am

I agree with many of the previous comments (but, keeping in mind that I saw the last show in Chicago, so I don't know what's changed for Broadway...):

- The score itself was uneven with mostly forgettable songs (I, also can’t recall one number from the show - and I generally like Yazbeck’s music).

- Many of the book scenes are very funny (I laughed a LOT! …but my laughter was mostly spurred by very clever “jokes”, as opposed to character-driven humor, or plot situations.)

- it was bogged down by a pretty generic and [borderline] awful score. (I wouldn’t say, “awful” so much as I thought it seemed very paint-by-number. Model Behavior 2.0 is a very good description, and example of this.)

In a Chicago Tribune article that was referenced in a different thread, Ellis is quoted as saying, "This is one hundred percent not your grandfather’s Tootsie." For me, that's the very reason why I was so disappointed in this musical version. Being of grandfatherly age, and a big fan of the movie, ALL of what made the movie so good is missing from the musical.

In the movie, the leading characters of Micheal and Julie are changed for the better in the end.

Micheal grows as a man in regards his relationships with women - Julie, in particular. He does so by using the obnoxious character trait (his offensively obsessive attention to detail, as an actor) that instigates his need to masquerade as a woman. 

Julie grows into a woman who will no longer allow herself to be belittled, or used by men. She does so via the relationship she forms with another woman (Dorothy). ...and for all practical purposes, Dorothy IS a woman, because Michael Dorsey is that obsessive about his craft.

Movie-Micheal decides to call it all off because he realizes how much he is hurting people he cares about.

In contrast, the Michael in the musical version becomes even more despicable. He masquerades as a woman for his own selfish purpose (as does movie-Michael), but he lacks the opportunities movie-Michael has that teach him respect for women - to learn how to be non-sexually intimate, nurturing, empathetic to the misogynistic situations women find themselves in on a daily basis.

He doesn't have those opportunities because musical-Julie is ALREADY a strong, independent woman. Musical-Julie sings a song about her troubled past, but had she not sung it, I wouldn't have known, 'cause it doesn't show up in her character outside of that angle number.

Musical-Julie grows in a different direction. No spoiler, but her arc made me think, "huh?" Unfortunately, musical-Julie may not have the same opportunity for a happy ending that we see with movie-Julie. It's very unclear what musical-Julie's next step might be regarding a relationship after her reveal.

Musical-Michael uses his disguise to get what he wants. He's a man taking advantage of the empathy of another woman (Rita Marshall), and he's getting away with it because he's masquerading as a woman (would Rita be such a champion of Dorothy's ideas if she knew he was a man?). 

And then there's musical-Michael's biggest reason for calling it all quits. He does not want to spend the rest of his career as a woman. Very different from movie-Michael's motivation - and maybe a bit insulting (?).

The best thing the musical has going for it (IMO) is the humor. Again, I did laugh out loud quite a bit. I also LOVED John Behlmann's performance as Max. To be honest, I wanted Max and Michael to get together in the end, but that's mostly because I wanted to get together with Max. As for the other leading characters, I wasn't really invested. 

When movie-Dorothy became Edward Kimberley, I mourned her passing throughout the remainder of the film. I wanted to see her again. That's how invested I was in that character. That didn't happen for me in the musical.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 1:57pm

Saw it last night - so great to revisit this after seeing it in Chicago.   A few changes I noticed:  

First. the opening number now slowly grows, in Chicago everyone was on stage - the words are still tough to understand.   It also gives Michael a very awkward entrance.   They've also made the subway cars look more like . . . subway cars, in Chicago, these were more conceptual.  

They have changed the party scene so it's just Sandy and Jeff and it works out great - very much as "we threw you a party and nobody came" tone, in Chicago it was a big party.   

Julie's song "Everything's OK/John" now has Dorothy singing bits of it.  Ron doesn't come to the park with a picnic bag anymore, which cuts the "oops here's my Tony" joke.  

The song Bats in the Attic now builds with Julie heading to the club (on the subway with a clever advertising for Juliet's Nurse).  In Chicago she was at the club performing it the whole time and IMO it allowed her to let loose more.   

The reveal  Dorothy/Michael now happens during the Juliet's Nurse show - still awkward AF.  In Chicago, this happened during a curtain speech.  

 

[playgoer22]

Posted: 3/31/19 at 2:22pm

Super fun. Some tightening needed in Act 2, but it's very charming and silly when it needs to be. Not the greatest theater, but this show works there. Santino is nearly excellent, I think he'll get there by opening.

[Rogerdellibovi]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 9:36am

Thanks Marlothom for explaining the changes from Chicago. I’m most curious about Julie’s “Bats in the Attic” song. It was clear to me that even though she was just singing it in the club the lyrics reflected her situation. However, in the next scene she suddenly is 100% okay with entering into a relationship with Dorothy. I’m not sure why they had a song were she feels like she’s going crazy for having feelings for a “woman” only to have her instantly drop her fears and doubts. If someone understood this choice better I would love some more explaination.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 10:39am

There were lines where I physically cringed. At one point they rhymes Gone with Gone with Gone with Gone.

It's three "gone"s.  She's recalling the end of a relationship and lists three things that disappeared when it happened.  Basically, "He was gone.  This was gone.  And this was gone."  I love that song.

I’m surprised to read some of the negative comments here. I do think act two could stand to be tweaked and trimmed, but I loved the score and thought the book was downright hilarious.

Me, too!  Of course, we're hearing comments on Yazbek's score that we've heard for his last two shows.  "Forgettable" is the popular adjective, then upon repeated listens, many change their minds.  I remember when Women on the Verge began as the score everyone hated, then the cast album was released and suddenly people found it Tony-worthy.  As for Tootsie, the one melody I found weak was "What She's Doing".  Everything else about the song and the scene works well, but the melody and rhythm need more drive and punch.

The choreography was a riot and remind me of the stuff in Head Over Heels, which maybe was some unintentional shade.

Lilli Cooper's "I'm Alive" number during the rehearsal of Juliet's Curse had me in stitches (if it's still the same as it was in Chicago) and I'll be playing that track on repeat when the cast recording is released.

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Where's the bunny?  He's got a fidget spinner...GO!

I adored Julie Halston’s Adela Holzer type producer. 

I actually feel she deserves a number to replace the dialogue for their act 2 dressing room scene.

I swear one of Santino’s number has strains of “The Microphone” in it;

I believe you're thinking of when he sings "Unstoppable".  Those three syllables have a similar melody structure to "Microphone".

I enjoyed his material, but he needs an 11 o’clock number that packs a bigger punch.

Funny thing is, I sorta felt that way the first time I saw the show.  The second time I saw it, I really appreciated the lighter touch to "Thank You" rather than take the more cliched and predictable classic musical theatre "THIS IS THE 11 O'CLOCK NUMBER" route.  To me, it just would have seemed out of place.  I liked Michael's quiet and peaceful resolve. It's as if the character settled into maturity.

The song Bats in the Attic now builds with Julie heading to the club (on the subway with a clever advertising for Juliet's Nurse).  In Chicago she was at the club performing it the whole time and IMO it allowed her to let loose more. 

I like the sound of this change.  In Chicago, the song seemed isolated and too disconnected to the book.

[John Adams]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 10:53am

playgoer22 said: "Santino is nearly excellent, "

He did an excellent job of singing in Dorothy's voice. I remember thinking about/anticipating how he would accomplish the singing aspects as I was taking the train into the city.

After the show's been open for a while, I hope someone will post a YT video of how they perform his backstage changes from Dorothy to Michael, and back. In Chicago, there was only one time (in Act II) when I definitely noticed Dorothy's bum in Michael's bluejeans.

And what about his hair? Does he wear a wig as Michael, also? I can't imagine how he doesn't have wig head any other way...?

 

[BenElliott]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 11:57am

Are they still giving out the Dorothy headshots?

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 4/1/19 at 11:56pm

BenElliott said: "Are they still giving out the Dorothy headshots?"

Yes! Headshots were given out tonight as the audience was leaving. 

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 12:23am

What I absolutely LOVED about Dustin Hoffmans Dorothy was her distinctive voice and the speed at which he always spoke. Does Mr Santino have a similar pitch/style female voice?

Someone mentioned the difficulty he has singing in the 'Dorothy voice'.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 10:38am

"There are two points that don’t fully click- there’s no sense that Dorothy is becoming a major sensation in this context (a musical in previews), and the final reveal doesn’t fully register. We certainly get that Dorothy improves the show and that everyone loves her, and that audiences like her. But we need a bit more of a sense that a star is born and that she has taken Broadway by storm. We need to see press, ticket sales, some fame! There are places where this can work- part of the “I Like What She’s Doing” number or the act 1 finale, for instance."

Excellent points. In the movie, Dorothy became overnight sensation and was on talk shows and magazine covers. It is too bad they do not do this as well in the show. Part of the reason the reveal was so wonderful in the movie was that she had become such a huge star and then before the entire country everyone finds out she is really a guy. I can't see the reveal having the same impact being done on a Broadway stage in front of a much smaller audience.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 12:13pm

Can someone explain to me how a second-rate theatre composer like David Yazbek keeps getting work, let alone awards? True, in this post-Sondheim era, our expectations must be lowered, but what with THE BAND'S VISIT (and not to mention his earlier shows), Yazbek has shown little affinity for writing memorable song scores. While I have not seen TOOTSIE yet, and certainly intend to do so, the reports on this page of the poverty of the score are crushing. Glad to hear the show is really funny, and hope that Santino gets the chance to truly shine as the great talent he is, but why not just do a straight version of the piece, and eschew the songs altogether?

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 4/2/19 at 12:26pm

It's because some of us actually like Yazbeck's scores. A score doesn't have to be tuneful to be good. His score for The Band's Visit isn't a toe tapper, but it's a phenomenal score. Women On The Verge also has a great score. In fact, all of his stuff is pretty great. It's just got a very different and very specific sound. I've found that with Yazbeck, much like Sondheim, his scores grow on you over time as you discover them. I remember when Women On the Verge opened and everyone mentioned how they thought the score was bad, but I've heard a lot of people mention that they realized how great the score was when the cast album came out. I think it'll be similar for Tootsie.