Jared Grant in Tootsie Photo Credit: Teg Folks
Reinvents 40 year Old Movie with Fresh Perspective and Laugh Out Loud Moments
By Mark Smiley
Tootsie opened on March 29 2022 at the Buell Theater with laugh out loud funny moments and a modern twist on a classic Hollywood movie. Robert Horn’s book in particular tries to bring the film’s dated gender politics into the 21st century without necessarily rewriting the original film’s plot wholesale. Julie Nichols’s character was more confident than she was in the 1982 movie, Michael Dorsey’s character did not hit on every woman in sight, and say goodbye to gay panic. The musical is a fresh take on classic movie.
Tootsie is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Robert Horn. The musical is based on the 1982 American comedy film of the same name written by Larry Gelbart, Barry Levinson (uncredited), Elaine May (uncredited) and Murray Schisgal from the story by Gelbart and Don McGuire. The musical made its world premiere try-out at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago in September 2018. Like the film, the musical tells the story of a talented but volatile actor, Michael Dorsey, whose reputation for being difficult forces him to adopt a new identity as a woman in order to land a job. The original movie revolved around a daytime soap opera, while the show involves a Broadway musical. His one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime – as the star of a new Broadway musical.
TOOTSIE features an original score by 2018 Tony Award-winner David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) and the book by Robert Horn (13; Dame Edna, Back with a Vengeance). The comedy in this musical flows smoothly
and the secret is more than the book; it’s the songs. Mr. Yazbek is one of the few composer-lyricists working today who can set jokes to music and make them pay.
The company is led by Drew Becker as Michael Dorsey, Ashley Alexandra as Julie Nichols, Tony Payton Reilly as Sandy Lester, Lukas James Miller as Max Van Horn, Jared David Michael Grant as Jeff Slater, Kathy Halenda as Rita Marshall, Steve Brustien as Stan Fields, and Adam Du Plessis as Ron Carlisle. The cast competently trekked through the musical numbers and kept the audience engaged. Jared David Michael Grant who played Dorsey’s roommate, Jeff Slater, has been with the production since September 2021. His training as a musical theater major in Chicago and his work on the Showtime series, The Chi, prepared him for this show stopping role. His acting, one liners, and facial expressions made an otherwise enjoyable show, a hit.
Tootsie runs through April 10 2022 at the Buell Theater. For tickets, visit www.dcpa.org.