Tootsie

Tootsie, genre-shifted from a TV studio to a Broadway musical stage (in more than one way), is entertaining audiences with a fun evening of song and dance at its Australian Premiere in Sydney’s inner west.

But what else would we expect from director and choreographer Cameron Mitchell? His choreography is slick, clever and performed with elan; even when it is a deliberate parody of bad choreography there’s a polish to it, and he mines every bit of in-theatre humour possible. On the direction front, dialogue / comedy delivery and timing is spot on, the show moves along at a cracking pace, the set changes are snappy and the characters are engaging.

When Dustin Hoffman hit our screens as “difficult” actor Michael Dorsey opposite Jessica Lange as Julie Nichols in 1982, the off-beat rom com became one of the biggest hits of the year.

Unable to find work as a male actor, Dorsey reinvented himself as female actor Dorothy Michael, and auditioned for a role on a TV soapie, becoming a household name on screen, while simultaneously becoming entangled in complicated romantic web behind the scenes.

Switching settings from a popular TV soap to a ‘musical-within-a-musical’ based increasingly loosely on a plot twisted from Romeo and Juliet, with Dorothy / Dorsey as Juliet’s nurse, the 2018 Broadway musical echoes the film as Dorothy improvises and re-writes the script on the rehearsal floor, then in performance.

It’s a great decision.

Adapting the film to a ‘musical-within-a musical for the stage feels right. ’Robert Horn’s witty book (winner of the Tony Award for Best Book) allowed David Yazbek free-rein to create some wickedly appropriate showtunes, which pop up so naturally, alongside soul-baring ballads.

Andrew Bevis gives a very entertaining performance as Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels, firstly as the actor Michael, whose arrogance and inability to take direction makes him unemployable, then as Dorothy, equally averse to direction, yet far more likeable. There’s a sting-in-the-tail to this character, as written, though, in the pain and damage he selfishly inflicts on all around him (and himself) as he’s constantly reminded by his friend and flatmate Jeff (Tyran Stig). Only late in the show does some self-awareness hit home, and there’s a sign of redemption.

Still, it’s a highly accomplished comic and vocal performance from Bevis, which also nails the afterbite of his actions.

As Jeff, Tyran Stig lands some terrific sardonic wit and advice, both in character dialogue and song, countering Michael’s recklessness and naivety, even though he has minimal effect on Michael. Stig’s portrayal is a witty and engaging reality check.  

Elenoa Rokobaro has a to-die-for musical theatre voice, and as Julie Nichols / Juliet is perfection playing a confident, talented stage performer. Back to real-life, she creates a truthfully engaging character, with vulnerabilities, sure, which she reveals to Dorothy, but she’s nobody’s fool.

Alana Tranter bubbles brightly, bursting onto the stage as Michael’s ex, Sandy, to celebrate his 40^th. Tranter finds a vibrant, somewhat neurotic level for the character, tied to her own struggles as an actor. Seeking help from Michael with an audition, she unwittingly provides a pivot for him and pain for herself when she misses out on the part. Tranter’s Sandy is eccentric and very likeable.

Chris Huntley-Turner nails the past-breaking-point pragmatic agent Stan Fields most believably; Lachlan O’Brien’s stereotypical flamboyant director Ron Carlisle is a gem, with a highlight being his rapid-fire explanation, with gestures, of a cliched choreography routine; Brendan Irving is suitably gormless as actor Max Von Horn, and totally straight-faced in professing misguided love for Dorothy; Donna Lee fits the mould of in-control producer perfectly as Rita Marshall.

The small immensely talented small ensemble is terrific, complementing the principals with energy, enthusiasm and polish, and creating some lovely cameos.

They’re also wonderfully disciplined and slick in achieving the scene changes, with Dan Potra’s set design cleverly using opening and revolving panels on 3 sides of the stage, plus furnishings, carried on and off by the cast with military precision.

Angela White’s costume designs and Helen Thatcher’s wig designs complete the onstage picture with flair and colour, while Peter Rubie’s lighting complements the staging admirably. Niamh Sinclair’s Sound Design impressively balances the vocals with the band, in a separate space outside the auditorium, led by Musical Director Nicholas Till.

Tootsie ran a respectable 293 regular performances and 25 previews on Broadway - probably why it has fallen to independent producer On Your Feet Australia to stage the premiere here, but I assume there will be many productions to follow on the Community and Indee theatre circuits.

An exuberant, fun evening of musical theatre at the intimate Teatro at the Italian Forum in Sydney’s inner west.

Neil Litchfield

Photographer: Robert Minter