“Tootsie,” is the musical adaptation of the very popular film that starred Dustin Hoffman as the actor who had to pretend to be a woman to learn how to be a man. It’s playing at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady through Sunday.
It’s another case of a stage musical not improving the film. The creators have made adjustments to the original. Most important is the inclusion of passages signifying the incorrectness of a privileged white male dressing in drag to deprive a woman of an important role in a Broadway musical.
Should you not remember the great 1982 film, the plot centers about a petulant actor, Michael Dorsey, whose know-it-all attitude makes him an undesirable in any show.
He decides to dress as a woman to gain the role of the nurse in a new musical “Juliet’s Curse.” He is so good the show is renamed “Juliet’s Nurse.”
But a funny thing happens on the way to the Tonys. Michael, now named Dorothy Michaels, falls in love with Julie, the actress playing Juliet. She reciprocates his affection, even though she thinks he is a woman.
The dilemma is to reveal the truth about his gender will expose his fraud, sink the show and hurt the rest of the cast who have become his friends. And, of course, he will lose Julie.
In the film, Michael’s journey to become a better man by living as a woman, was ahead of its time and in some scenes, it was actually profound.
The musical tries to have it both ways. It keeps the nucleus of the Michael/Dorothy-Julie relationship but adds a lot of humor.
The comedy works, maybe too well. As we laugh at, and with, the supporting characters, we lose a connection with the leads, which should be the meat of the show.
It doesn’t help that Drew Becker as Michael/Dorothy and Ashley Alexandra as Julie are likable as individuals, but have little connection as a couple. Too bad, because both are talented actors.
Becker doesn’t fully establish the dedication of Michael to his craft. What is left is his ego – which is not so good.
However, he is wonderful as Dorothy and since he is in a dress for about 80% of the show it’s more than a fair tradeoff.
Alexandra creates a soft, sincere Juliet, and does it through her songs. She has the most beautiful voice in the show.
Which brings us to the music. Music and lyrics are by David Yazbek, who is no stranger to bring films to life on stage. His work on “The Band’s Visit” and “The Full Monty” are both brilliant.
This is not his best work. There is barely a song you will remember by the time you get home. One of Yazbek’s strengths is his lyric writing, which helps move and add emotion to a story. In “Tootsie” he takes several minutes to convey what could be done with a few lines of dialogue.
What makes the night a success is the abundant comedy in the material added by Robert Horn. This comes from beefing up the secondary characters.
The leader and nearly the unintended star of the show is Jared David Michael Grant as Michael’s best friend, Jeff. His comic timing is brilliant and he gets more laughs with a pause and a stare than most actors get in a Neil Simon comedy.
She doesn’t have a lot of stage time, but Payton Reilly makes the most of every minute on stage as she is an insecure delight as Sandy, Michael’s needy ex-girlfriend.
The list goes on. Matthew Rella as Max is the ideal hunk without a brain in his head. He has a deliciously funny scene with Dorothy, with whom he develops a crush.
Adam du Plessis comes dangerously close to going over the top as the arrogant director, Ron. But to be fair, he gets his laughs. Others in the cast also do well in the smaller parts.
The set is functional, consisting of drops, props and panels. Lighting is equally uninspired, as is the choreography. I find it hard to understand why one would transform a film into a musical and not have any show stopping numbers – like with “Tootsie.”
The show is one of those types of work that fall in the crack of not being great without being bad. It only ran on Broadway for 236 performances.
This production forces you to think it deserved more as it proves the material will entertain anyone who sees it.
“Tootsie” at Proctors in Schenectady through Sunday. For tickets and schedule go to proctors.org or call 518-346-6204.
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
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