Review: The hit 1980s film ‘Tootsie’ has been revamped as a hilarious stage production for the MeToo era, smartly navigating new gender politics and starring Santino Fontana in a Tony-worthy turn playing the role made famous by Dustin Hoffman.
Let’s face it: There are more ways these days to get a musical version of “Tootsie” wrong than right.
But what really stands out is the wit. This “Tootsie” yields more laughs per minute than any musical since “The Book of Mormon.” Yazbek and Horn are like Woody Allen in the early days, only campier and completely besotted with Broadway. The production, directed by Scott Ellis with as much care for the verbal fizz as for the choreographic bounce, keeps the audience in a continual state of surprise. The opening number seemed to confirm my worst fears about the musical, but the show pulls a fast one on the audience while putting us through the paces of a journeyman actor careening from one casting call rejection to the next.
The audition song “I Won’t Let You Down” is a test both for Dorothy, who must convince Ron and Rita that she has the requisite chops, and for Fontana, who must persuade the audience that this drag performance is going to have enough reality for us to want to strap in for the whole ride. Both the character and the star pass with flying colors.Share quote & link
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