Review: Tootsie by touring company
by Brian Paul Scipione
The 1982 movie Tootsie was a big hit, earning the praise of audiences and critics alike, as well as ten Academy Award nominations. It has since been inducted into the Library of Congress’ United States National Film Registry because of its cultural significance. So, it may seem surprising that it did not get the musical treatment until it was adapted by David Yazbek and Robert Horn in 2018, nearly forty years later.
Though it was a critical hit and won two Tony awards, the musical had a very limited Broadway run that lasted from April 2019 to January 2020. It has found a new life as a touring production that began in Buffalo, New York in 2020. The musical loosely follows the movie’s story about a difficult but talented actor, Michael Dorsey, so desperate for a good part he disguises himself as a woman.
This musical adaption, such a long time in coming, arrives appropriately updated in light of the #metoo movement—but even with its altered ending, some may argue it hasn’t changed enough. The 1982 movie focused on the lead character’s realization of what it's like to be a woman. The musical attempts to go beyond that (at least superficially).
Putting aside socio-philosophical debates, this is undeniably an enjoyable musical, an evening of light-hearted giggles, deep belly-laughs, and the occasional “aww, how adorable" moments. It retains the soul of an eighties comedy where the stakes are high, and the antics are absurd, but it rarely drifts into the realm of dark humor. The characters are all outrageous stereotypes: the self-indulgent actor, the misogynist, pessimistic best friend, the hysterical ex-girlfriend, the morally upright and innocent love intertest, the two-faced agent, and the lecherous theater director. These characters' lack of complexity is the formula for comic gold.
The scenarios are equally basic: opposites attract, what comes around goes around, unlucky in love. And yet this is also the story’s strength. Your mind is unburdened and so your heart is ready to laugh. The musical’s score embraces the same ideology. It's carnival-like, full of vamps, and makes use of the entire orchestra, effectively paying homage to 1980s movie soundtracks with a very Danny Elfman feel.
The costume design pulled no punches at all, for giant wigs, bright pastel colors, and unrestrained vibrancy give the chorus a nearly cartoonish appearance. The director frequently used the chorus to move the story along by providing exposition with biting humor that was borderline snide satire.
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One-liners and quips filled the dialogue to the brim, creating a torrent of comedic explosions. Even if you only laughed at every other line, you were laughing most of the runtime.
The moments of dramatic relief were few and far between, and all of them were provided by Ashley Alexandra as the leading lady Julia Nichols when she interacted with Drew Becker as Michael Dorsey’s alter-ego Dorothy Michaels.
Payton Reilly as the ex-girlfriend Sandy Lester, far and away stole the show with her Gilbert and Sullivan-style patter song “What’s Gonna Happen.” Every time she returned to the stage, I was hoping she'd have another song to herself, but alas, she did not. All the characters employed over-pronounced New York accents except Becker in his Dorothy Michaels guise, during he used high-pitched southern accent à la Blanche DuBois.
The entire cast clearly enjoys themselves and are well aware of which lines are going to land. They deftly milked the jokes. At one point a character snarkily replies “I’m an actor, I can survive on disappointment, corn syrup, and debt.”
In terms of this production the actors aren't just surviving. They're thriving on the audience’s energy and laughter. Like a classic joke that always cracks a smile, this production of Tootsie is enormously entertaining without needing to be anything more than that.
February 22 - February 27, 2022
