‘TOOTSIE’: Santino Fontana & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy

TOOTSIE
Book by Robert Horn
Music & lyrics by David Yazbek
Directed by Scott Ellis
Choreographed by Denis Jones
Marquis Theatre
1535 Broadway at 45th Street
(877-250-2929), www.TootsieMusical.com

By David NouNou

Based on the brilliant 1982 movie starring Dustin Hoffman, I have to say Tootsie is one of the better adaptations of movies in recent memory. Credit must be given to Robert Horn for an intelligent, bright and imaginative book. It is fresh and to its credit veers slightly from the movie to enable it to have a different slant.

Michael Dorsey (Santino Fontana) can’t land an acting job because of his exacting and infuriating difficulty of doing a part without having to question the parts motivation. He gets fired from every audition. His former girlfriend, Sandy (Sarah Stiles) comes over one night with a script entitled Juliet’s Nurse. Michael is supposed to help her get a better understanding of the part. It is a musical based on Romeo and Juliet; this takes place after Romeo dies but, in this version, Juliet is still alive and the nurse helps her recover. Michael decides to audition for the part of the nurse, and enters as Dorothy Michaels. Of course the show is awful, but Dorothy not only lands the part of the nurse but, with sheer determination, steers the show to a resounding success.

Michael is so desperate to land an acting job that he never considers any of the complications that will arise. For one thing, he falls in love with Julie Nichols, the young lady who plays Juliet (Lilli Cooper). Further complications arise when Romeo’s brother, Chris (John Behlmann) falls madly in love with the nurse/Dorothy Michaels. Dorothy turns a flop to a huge success and has to sign a two-year contract and has to continue being a woman. Michael gets the part and the stardom that he always wanted, but he also comes to a breaking point with all the conflicts he created.

What Mr. Horn has cleverly done is taken the TV setting out, in which Michael auditions for a part in a soap opera; now Michael auditions for a Broadway show which makes it more relatable to the audience who are seeing a Broadway musical. The rest stays true to form, more or less. The book is abetted by a bouncy score from David Yazbek. Last year, Mr. Yazbek won a Tony for the score of The Band’s Visit. While that show’s score was rich and haunting, this is upbeat standard Broadway fare.

The cast, although not dynamic, is effective. Santino Fontana as Michael/Dorothy doesn’t have the luxury to develop these two characters the way Dustin Hoffman did in the movie. In the theater it becomes more of a quick-change artist rather than morphing from one character to the other. Since the audience is already in on the joke, his transitioning becomes easier and less demanding.

Lilli Cooper is charming as Julie Nichols but lacks the vulnerability of the character that draws her to Dorothy/Michael. She is too independent to be taken in. Sarah Stiles, as the neurotic Sandy in desperate need of a part and validation, comes across a tad too shrill in the beginning but is quite effective in the end. John Behlmann as Dorothy’s ardent suitor is perfect as the narcissistic brain-dead actor. Julie Halston as the show’s producer is a delight.

Credit has to be given to director Scott Ellis, as this is his second show this season, the first being the brilliant revival of Kiss Me, Kate currently at Studio 54. The man has taste and knows how to keep things moving at a quick pace. He has taken a familiar story and presented it in new terms as a musical that is worth visiting and enjoying.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 26, 2019
Reviewed at April 25, 2019 press performance.

‘TOOTSIE’: Santino Fontana & Lilli Cooper. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TOOTSIE’: Santino Fontana. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

‘TOOTSIE’: Santino Fontana & Lilli Cooper. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TOOTSIE’: Santino Fontana (right) & company. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TOOTSIE’: (left to right) Julie Halston, James Moye, Santino Fontana, Lilli Cooper & John Behlmann. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TOOTSIE’: (left to right) Leslie Donna Flesner, Shina Ann Morris, Santino Fontana & Julie Halston. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TOOTSIE’: Santino Fontana & Andy Grotelueschen. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TOOTSIE’: Lilli Cooper & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TOOTSIE’: Reg Rogers (center) & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TOOTSIE’: Lilli Cooper. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TOOTSIE’: Sarah Stiles & Andy Groteluesche. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TOOTSIE’: Santino Fontana (center) with (left to right) Drew King, Leslie Donna Flesner, Sissy Bell & John Arthur Greene. Photo: Julieta Cervantes

The post ‘Tootsie’ transformed into triumphant musical appeared first on StageZine.

LIKE ‘AVENUE Q’ ON STEROIDS (left to right) Geneva Carr, Sarah Stiles, Mark Kudisch, Steven Boyer & Michael Oberholtzer. Photo: Joan Marcus

HAND TO GOD
By Robert Askins
Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel
Booth Theatre
222 West 45th Street
(212) 239-6200
http://handtogodbroadway.com

By Scott Harrah

This is that rare show that changes and challenges the foundations of traditional theater, the way Samuel Beckett did in the 1950s with Waiting for Godot and Edward Albee did in the 1960s with Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Equal parts dark comedy, absurdist drama and horror/gore show, Hand to God is both funny and frightening, has the irreverence of The Book of Mormon, and the gross-out ick factor of every John Waters film, but playwright Robert Askins’ tale is highly original as well. At times scathingly hilarious but ultimately disturbing, this tragicomic masterpiece takes digs at everything from Christianity and teenage angst to taboo sex. It is unlike anything you’ve ever seen on the New York stage in years.

Hand to God has transferred to Broadway after two successful downtown productions. Although lead actor Steven Boyer isn’t yet a big name in theater, he will be soon for his tour de force portrayal of Jason, a troubled teenager who brings out his inner demons through Tyrone, the hand puppet he plays with at a Texas church in a Christian puppet class run by his mother, Margery (the outstanding Geneva Carr).

Margery is still grieving the loss of her husband just six months earlier as she attempts to rehearse for an upcoming church puppet performance with Jason, smart-mouthed bully Timothy (Michael Oberholtzer) and quick-witted Jessica (Sarah Stiles).

Meanwhile, Pastor Greg (Marc Kudisch) has romantic feelings for Margery, but she’s too grief-stricken from her husband’s death to even feign interest in the guy. Margery is also indulging in some stomach-churning, inappropriate behavior with hormone-addled Timothy (don’t ask). To make things worse, Jason’s going overboard playing with his puppet Tyrone, shouting out so many potty-mouthed witticisms and acting out violence and perverse sex acts that it seems Tyrone has literally possessed the poor kid.

Hand to God questions many of the foundations of mainstream Christianity and morality as the characters take us on a nonstop ride of four-letter words, jabs at the Bible and social mores as we see puppets and humans in various acts of sex and violence. Although act one is full of belly laughs, by act two the show builds to an uncomfortable climax that makes us realize Hand to God is more of a modern-day Greek tragedy than an edgier, filthier Avenue Q. Like many Greek heroes and heroines in Euripides and Sophocles’ classics, Jason and mom Margery commit despicable crimes of passion and must face the consequences.

Director Moritz von Stuelpnagel keeps the exceptional cast moving at a steady pace, in a show that is so full of energy, fake spewing blood and searing physicality that it has to be exhausting for the actors. However, as first-rate as Robert Askins’ play is, the raison d’être of the show is also Steven Boyer’s mind-blowing portrayal of Jason and Tyrone, in what is certainly the must-see performance of the spring season, making him a frontrunner for the Tony Award.

JASON & TYRONE: Steven Boyer in ‘Hand to God.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

JASON & HIS CRUSH, JESSICA: Steven Boyer & Sarah Stiles. Photo: Joan Marcus

MARGERY & PASTOR GREG: Geneva Karr & Mark Kudisch. Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 10, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on April 9, 2015

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