Tootsie

B+

The tag line in the ads for the Broadway adaptation of this 1982 film is “The Comedy Musical.” The inversion of the usual term is apt, because this is one of the few musicals more likely to be remembered for its savvy book by Robert Horn (13 The Musical, “Designing Women”) than for its competent, but not stellar, score by David Yazbek (The Band’s Visit, The Full Monty). It’s not that the score is bad — Yazbek displays his usual facility for matching song to character and his lyrics are often clever — but there are no songs that jump out as something you are likely to want to hear again very soon. The book, on the other hand, very cleverly updates the basic story to the age of #MeToo, successfully changes the setting from the world of soap operas to the Broadway stage, and regularly provides a barrel of laughs. The strong book is matched by a superb cast and first-rate production values. Santino Fontana (Cinderella, Sons of the Prophet) deftly negotiates the dual role of Michael Dorsey/Dorothy Michaels, singing well in both ranges. Lilli Cooper (SpongeBob SquarePants, Spring Awakening) is lovely as Julie Nichols, Dorothy’s co-star and Michael’s love interest. Sarah Stiles (Hand to God, On a Clear Day…) pulls out all the stops as Michael’s neurotic former girlfriend Sandy Lester and Andy Grotelueschen (Cyrano de Bergerac, Into the Woods) is droll as Michael’s roommate Jeff Slater. John Behlmann (Significant Other, Journey’s End) is a riot as the buff but dim Max Van Horn who takes a shine to Dorothy. The always enjoyable Julie Halston (On the Town, Hairspray) scores as the wealthy producer Rita Marshall, who promotes Dorothy’s rise. Michael McGrath (The Front Page, She Loves Me) makes the most of the small but important role of Stan Fields, Michael’s agent. Reg Rogers (The Royal Family, Holiday) is wonderful as Ron Carlisle, the director who has blackballed Michael but is forced to work with Dorothy. The choreography by Denis Jones (Holiday Inn, Honeymoon in Vegas) is lively with a memorable faux-Fosse number that we gratefully get to see a second time during the curtain call. David Rockwell’s (Kiss Me Kate!, She Loves Me) attractive, flexible sets are beautifully lit by Donald Holder (The Lion King) and William Ivey Long’s (Prince of Broadway, It Shoulda Been You) costumes are marvelous. Scott Ellis (She Loves Me, On the 20th Century) directs with aplomb. The implausible progression from the awful show “Juliet’s Curse” to the hit “Juliet’s Nurse” is fun to watch. There is so much to admire that one regrets that the score is not up to the high level of everything else. Nevertheless, it offers a very entertaining evening with far more laughs than you can expect from today’s typical musical. Running time: two hours 35 minutes including intermission.

Hand to God (revisited) ****

Curiosity and a ticket purchased with Audience Rewards points led me to the Booth Theatre to see how well Robert Askins’s dark comedy weathered the trip from Christopher Street to 45th Street. When I heard that the producers planned to move it to Broadway, I thought it was a bad mistake. It seemed much too edgy for Broadway. I assumed that the production would be toned down considerably for the move uptown. I am happy to report that I was wrong on both counts. The show has been running since March to enthusiastic audiences that include large numbers of young people all too rarely seen on Broadway. If anything, the Broadway audience seemed more attuned to the show’s vibe than the downtown audience. Furthermore, the production has not been toned down in the slightest; it’s just as raw as it was off-Broadway. 

Here’s what I said when I gave the MCC production three stars in March 2014:

This very dark comedy by Robert Askins was both a sell-out and an Obie winner when it appeared at Ensemble Studio Theatre a couple of years ago, so it is easy to understand why MCC has brought it back in a new production at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. A Texas church includes a puppet ministry among its programs. Margery (Geneva Carr) is a recent widow who tries valiantly to interest three teenagers in her puppetry class. Pastor Greg (Marc Kudisch) has a yen for Margery, as does Timothy (Michael Oberholtzer), one of her students. Her other students are the nerdy Jessica (Sarah Stiles) and Margery's shy son Jason (Steven Boyer) whose attachment to his demonic hand puppet Tyrone is, to put it mildly, extreme. Is the foul-mouthed violent Tyrone the devil or just an expression of Jason's (or humanity's) dark side? When Jason and Tyrone end up in hand to hand combat, who will win? There is much to admire here -- a lively script, a fine cast (especially Boyer), smooth direction by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, the spot-on set design by Beowulf Boritt and costumes by Sydney Maresca. At times the playwright tries too hard to shock. The coarseness of the language and the bloodiness of the action go further than necessary to make their point. There are some extremely entertaining scenes along the way, but I'm not sure where it all leads. Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes, including intermission.

The play seemed more intense this time. The funny scenes were funnier and the tragic moments were sadder. The excellent cast seemed energized and fresh. Boyer remains absolutely amazing. I still find some of it over the top and a bit muddled, but it is performed with such style and conviction that I have given it another star. 

Hand to God ***

This very dark comedy by Robert Askins was both a sell-out and an Obie winner when it appeared at Ensemble Studio Theatre a couple of years ago, so it is easy to understand why MCC has brought it back in a new production at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. A Texas church includes a puppet ministry among its programs. Margery (Geneva Carr) is a recent widow who tries valiantly to interest three teenagers in her puppetry class. Pastor Greg (Marc Kudisch) has a yen for Margery, as does Timothy (Michael Oberholtzer), one of her students. Her other students are the nerdy Jessica (Sarah Stiles) and Margery's shy son Jason (Steven Boyer) whose attachment to his demonic hand puppet Tyrone is, to put it mildly, extreme. Is the foul-mouthed violent Tyrone the devil or just an expression of Jason's (or humanity's) dark side? When Jason and Tyrone end up in hand to hand combat, who will win? There is much to admire here -- a lively script, a fine cast (especially Boyer), smooth direction by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, the spot-on set design by Beowulf Boritt and costumes by Sydney Maresca. At times the playwright tries too hard to shock. The coarseness of the language and the bloodiness of the action go further than necessary to make their point. There are some extremely entertaining scenes along the way, but I'm not sure where it all leads. Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes, including intermission.